A Rather Unorthodox Ohana
by pargertwo
Summary: A multi-chapter fic on what happens after Mary McGarrett's death, focusing on the day to day lives of the 5-0 Ohana, rather than their cases. Set during Season 5. This is a (hopefully) enjoyable way to fill in the time until the next original Season 5 episode. Comments welcome! I am always looking to improve. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

Steve heard the buzzing but had a hard time bringing his mind out from his dreams and into wakefulness. He used to be able to bolt awake immediately, but lately he was just exhausted. He found sleep eluded him and when he finally managed to fall asleep, he was always in too deep. As he slowly gained consciousness, he realized the buzzing was his phone on the nightstand.

"McGarrett" he barked into the phone.

There was silence on the other end for a moment. Then an inhaled breath followed by sobs. A woman's voice stuttered out "Steeeve" and then broke into anguished crying again.

Steve took a moment to pull the cell phone from his ear to look at the screen. He realized this was the call he had been dreading for a few months.

"Aunt Deb, shhhh. It's okay. I'm so sorry about Leonard, I'll get a fli…."

"No, Steve." His aunt was obviously struggling to control herself. "It's not Leonard, it's…Oh God…" The sobbing broke out again. Steve could make out someone making soothing noises in the background and his Aunt responding and then some more rustling noises.

"Steve, it's Leonard."

"Leonard, what's going on…what's wrong with Deb?"

"I'm so sorry to tell you this, Steve, the police were just here. There was an accident and Mary is dead." The crying broke out anew at the other end of the phone. Even though she was not on the phone, Steve could clearly hear his aunt's grief.

Steve had been standing next to the bed, but now he just collapsed back onto it. Maybe he was still dreaming. He might wake up any minute now. What Leonard had just told him was not making any sense.

"Dead? Mary's Dead? Oh my God, Leonard, are you sure, what happened?"

"Yes, Steve, I'm sure and I am so sorry. Apparently Mary had gone to visit some friends, it was fairly late when she was driving home. Her car blew a tire, she was just going around a curve, I guess the car rolled. God, I don't know if I even have any of it right, other than the fact that she's dead. They said she was killed instantly. Broke her neck, I don't know. I don't have all the details. We have to get to the hospital. Deb's getting dressed now, we have to get there and see about Joan."

Steve's head snapped up at that. "Joan was in the car?"

"Yes she was. She was in her car seat. Apparently she was bounced around a little bit, but the officers said she wasn't hurt. They're waiting outside to take us to the hospital. They said they would escort us. I just don't know what we're going to do."

"All right, Leonard. I'm getting the first flight out. I'm throwing a bag together and I'm on my way. You tell Deb I'm coming and I will be there as soon as I can."

"Okay Steve. Again, I'm so very sorry. You have mine and Deb's cell numbers. Call and let us know when you arrive and either one of us will pick you up, or we'll let you know where we are so you can meet us. I'll see you when you get here. Bye."

Steve hung up the phone, put it on the nightstand, put his head in his hands and cried his heart out. He cried for his little sister who never was fully able to trust that she was loved. He cried for his Aunt, who had always tried to be the substitute mother that Mary needed, but always felt that she hadn't been able to make up for all of Mary's heartbreak. He cried for his little niece Joan, who was now going to grow up without a mother, and he knew how that could turn out.

Lastly, he cried for himself, after so many losses in his life, he never thought that he would be burying his little sister. He always tried to protect her and keep her out of harm's way and out of the dangerous way of life that his father, his mother, and he, himself, had chosen. Still she ended up dead. Karma was certainly a capricious bitch.

Steve cried himself out, rubbed his eyes and got into the shower. As he dressed, he started throwing clothes into a duffle bag, then sat down on his bed and pressed speed dial #1 on his phone.

"McGarrett, I swear to God, even if the Governor himself is dead, I am going to…."

"Danno" Steve was trying to pretend that didn't come out as broken as it sounded.

"Steve, what's wrong, what's up?"

"Mary, it's Mary, Danny. They just called….she's dead."

"Whaaat? What the hell Steven! What happened? No, never mind, I'm on my way over. You stay put, babe, you got that?"

"Yeah, yeah I got it Danny. Thanks. I got it."

Steve sat with the phone in his hands for a minute. He felt the tension in his chest ease a fraction. He didn't know why, but he always felt like he could handle anything when Danny was around. Even though Danny was loud and abrasive, and could get Steve's blood pressure on the roof with just a few well-placed comments, Steve had never had a friend as reliable as Danny. There was no one he trusted as much as Danny in any kind of crisis.

Steve grabbed his duffle, shoved the last few essentials into it that he needed, and headed downstairs to fire up the computer and get a flight booked.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny entered the Iolani Palace later that morning. He looked exhausted and rumpled with dark circles under his eyes. He had sent a quick text to Chin before he got to Steve's, letting Chin know what had happened and that he was going to get Steve onto a flight to LA, and Danny would be in directly afterward.

Danny would have to call the Governor. The paperwork was in place for Danny to assume control of Five-0 in the event of Steve's absence for any reason, although they had always assumed it would be due to a deployment.

Danny desperately wanted to go with Steve to LA, but he knew that right now what his friend needed most was for Danny to hold down the fort at home, so Steve could concentrate on his family. Danny and Steve had talked about having some sort of memorial service for Mary when Steve returned. Mary still had a lot of friends on the island and their Five-0 Ohana would want a chance to say good-bye as well.

Chin, Kono and Lou were drinking coffee around the smart table when Danny pushed open the glass doors to the office.

"We got a case?" Danny asked.

The three looked up, faces grim, and Danny could tell Kono had been crying.

"No, brah" Chin responded, "we're just reminiscing about Mary. I can't believe she's gone. How's poor Steve going to cope with all of that? What about Joan?"

"I dunno, but the last thing I wanted to do this morning was drop him at the airport. He looked more beat up then he did after Wo Fat got done with him."

"Ouch, other boss" came from Kono. "That sounds pretty bad."

Before they could continue the conversation about Steve, Danny's cell phone started up with "I'm a Bitch, I'm a Lover" by Meredith Brooks. Danny smirked at the other three, pressed the accept button and put the phone to his ear

"What's up Rachel?" His face settled into a grimace of displeasure and he immediately started spluttering into the phone.

"You're here? On the island? You aren't supposed to be back for another two weeks! I am NOT giving up my time with Grace! You can't just WALTZ in and …. What ?" Oh."

Danny was halted in mid-rant and it looked to the others like that might have hurt. He listened for a while, and started looking very puzzled, and finally responded to what his caller had said.

"Well, I can't get away right now, McGarrett's not here. I mean not on the island. No, I'll tell you when I see you. Yeah, I'll meet you at the Hilton Hawaiian for lunch at 2:30. Okay, see you then."

Danny hung up the phone and stood there looking at it for a moment, and then looked up to see the other three task force members eyeing him.

"Don't give me that look, I have no idea what that's about. Rachel is back here two weeks early and says she needs to talk to me. Without Grace. Or Charlie. She wants us to have lunch together. I haven't spent two minutes with my ex since she dragged me back to court, and she lost, on that last custody case, and now she wants to go to lunch. I wonder what fresh hell she's bringing?"

The others stayed silent, not sure how to respond. Sometimes with Danny, it was best to remain silent just to avoid starting up a rant.

"Anyway, forget that, I'm going to take a couple of hours for lunch, okay."

"Sure, Danny" put in Chin, "there isn't much going on right now anyway. We're working a couple cold cases with HPD and Lou is putting the finishing touches on the paperwork from our last case. He got elected so he could learn the ropes of how to ….finesse…the reports before they're submitted."

Danny laughed at that, but it sounded a little hollow, even to his ears.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve looked over at Leonard as they drove away from LAX. The older man had lost weight he couldn't afford and looked pretty drawn. It hurt Steve to think that he would be returning to LA in the not too distant future, but he knew that was the truth.

"Thanks for picking me up, Leonard."

"No problem Steve. Deb just got Joan down for a nap, and I think she was going to try and get one too. She's been doing amazingly well. Her treatments really seem to be having some effect and I'm glad that we have gotten to enjoy this time together."

Leonard stopped for a moment, and appeared to be collecting himself.

"Anyway, I, I, God, I just don't know how to tell you how sorry I am about Mary. You know I had never married before your aunt. I never had children, and really don't have much family. Deb, Mary and Joan have been a godsend for me."

"I'm glad for that Leonard. You've been great for my aunt too." Steve paused for a moment, and then continued. "Mary, though, she was doing well, wasn't she? The last few times I spoke to her on the phone, she just seemed more together, you know what I mean?"

"Yes, Steve. I think adopting Joan and having a responsibility was good for her. She was holding down a steady job, they had a nice apartment in a good area, and she was really limiting her partying ways. Unfortunately, they weren't over for good, but that's Mary for you."

At that Steve smiled sadly. Mary's reputation as a partier was still intact, even after she had adopted Joan. This was no surprise to Steve, and he had even tried to talk to her about it several times, but Mary was not interested in hearing his opinion on how she should live her life.

The traffic in LA was horrible and it took the men over an hour to navigate the crowded streets and arrive at Leonard and Deb's posh condominium complex. Steve was glad to see that his aunt was going to enjoy some creature comforts in the last years of her life. It looked as though Leonard had done quite well for himself.

As they exited the elevator, which opened directly into Leonard and Deb's condo, Leonard indicated to Steve to follow him down the hall to the guestroom to drop off his bags. Apparently their entrance woke Deb, because she softly called down the hall.

"Leonard is that you? Do you have Steve?"

"Yes, honey, I do. We're just putting his bags in the bedroom. Is Joan still asleep?"

At this point Leonard and Steve had reached the kitchen which Deb was just entering from a hallway that must lead to the Master Bedroom.

"Yes, she is. The poor little thing is just exhausted. And I'll bet this poor little thing is just exhausted too!"

And with that, his aunt wrapped her arms around Steve and drew him into her firm embrace. He resisted for a moment. He was a man who was not used to much personal contact, other than when he had been with Catherine, and now with his partner Danny who was effusive and touchy at all times. But, finally, he relaxed into the comfort of his aunt's arms and soaked up her love for him.

"I am so sorry Steve. We are all going to miss Mary so much. I just cannot believe that our family is having to deal with another loss, so soon after Jack."

"Thanks Aunt Deb. I just don't even know what to say."

"I know, honey, I know." Deb released Steve and stepped back. Her eyes were full of tears and very red. She gave a sigh and asked "Did you try and reach your Mother, Steve?"

"I tried." Steve bit this out, recalling his conversation with Joe. "Joe's going to 'try' and get a message to her. But truthfully, I doubt that we will see or hear from her. She's really deep under right now."

Deb could tell from his disgusted tone that he wasn't buying whatever spin Joe White had tried to put on Doris' absence. She didn't blame him for the disgust. She had never liked White and could not fathom her brother's friendship with the man.

"Well, come and sit down. I'll make you and Leonard some tea." Steve and Leonard both sat down at the table just as there was a sob from some part of the room. Steve shot to his feet looking around frantically for the source.

"Oh, honey, sit down and relax. That's just the baby monitor. Joanie must be waking up. I'll go get her."

With that, his aunt turned the burner on under the tea kettle and left the room. She returned after a few minutes with a sleepy eyed Joan in her arms. She turned the burner off and poured the hot water into the tea cups Leonard had prepared, while bouncing the little girl on her hip.

Steve hadn't seen his niece since Mary had visited Hawaii right after she had adopted her. The baby had grown into a beautiful toddler. She was a short, stocky little girl with a mass of wild, sweaty blond hair adorning her head and huge blue eyes.

"Good grief, she looks like a mini-Danny." Steve laughed, "if she had a two day growth of scruff on her face, they'd be identical."

"Oh, hush you!" His aunt responded, laughing. "She's a beauty, that's what she is. I am so grateful that Mary and Joan spent so much time with Leonard and I. She is used to us, and she is used to being with us without Mary, so she's not too frightened. Now, we just have to get her used to you. She just needs to finish waking up and figure things out."

Steve spent the next few hours trying to get Joan to warm up to him. He was a man who was not very comfortable with children due to the fact that he had spent so little time with them. The only child he saw with any regularity was Grace and she was seven when he first met her, not a little girl under two. Luckily for him, Joan was used to interacting with many different people due to her mother's friendliness and lifestyle, so she was actually having less trouble warming up than he was.

Steve and Joan were finally playing on the floor together in the living room, Leonard and his aunt watching them from the couches. Deb had quite a few baby dolls at her home, so Steve assumed that they watched the little girl more often than either of them were letting on. Joanie was enamored with Steve and kept bringing dollies and clothes to "Unca S'eve" to have him help her change their outfits and give them their bottles.

When it was time to put her to bed, Deb indicated that Steve should come and help. Steve tried to back out of it, but Deb was adamant that he do it. Steve wasn't sure why she was so insistent, but he figured if it would make his aunt happy, it was the least he could do given the circumstances.

So, for the first time in his life, Steven J. McGarrett, fearsome Navy SEAL and badass 5-0 task force team leader, changed a diaper, put jammies on a baby, read her a story, and then, with great embarrassment, sang a little lullaby as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours after Rachel's call, Danny arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian and glanced around the outside dining area. He spotted Rachel right away. As always, she looked elegant and pretty. But, unusually for her, she looked a little tired and sad. She was also thinner than he had ever seen her. She spotted him, raised her hand in a wave, and offered a small smile.

"Rach, nice to see you. You're looking great as always." Until he found out what she was going to try and do him out of, Danny figured he could be generous with his compliments.

"Thanks, Daniel, you as well. Let's order, and then I'll get right to the point without the waitress hovering."

They placed their orders right away. A cheeseburger and fries for Danny and some sort of salad greens for Rachel. She straightened her back and looked like she was steeling herself for the conversation.

"Danny, I'll get straight to the point. I'm moving back to Hawaii. I'm hoping that we can work together to come up with a visitation schedule that will work for all of us, without having to involve the solicitors. I actually plan to be living here full time by the beginning of next week."

Danny felt himself beginning to panic. He knew it! She was going to try and alter his custody of Grace. He began to get angry. There was no way he would let her get away with this. He absolutely refused to go back to the lousy visitation schedule he had when he had first moved to the island.

"You're moving back? I thought you sold the house in Kahala and bought something in Vegas."

"We did. Now, we have sold the Vegas property, and I am leasing another home here, with a potential option to purchase if I find it suitable. Actually, it's in your neighborhood."

"My neighborhood? I wouldn't think the houses in my neighborhood would be up to Stan's usual style."

He watched her bristle as the shot hit home, and just when he thought she was going to counter with a shot of her own, she just obviously deflated. Danny was a little shocked at that. Tiredly, she responded,

"Danny, can we not do this to each other this time? I just wanted to sit down and speak with you in the hopes that for Grace's sake, and our own, we could be civil to each other and try to work out an acceptable visitation. I deliberately chose a house in your neighborhood in the hopes that it would make our shared custody arrangement more manageable. Oh, here's lunch."

They both sat back and let the waitress serve the plates to them, and then started eating. Well, Danny started eating, Rachel was just picking at her salad, her head down and eyes examining her plate. Danny was a great detective and right now he detected that Rachel was depressed and weary. Despite himself, Danny let go of his anger and began to be a little worried for her.

"Okay, so what's going on Rach? Fill me in a little bit, because I got the impression from Grace that Vegas was going to be on the table for a long time."

Rachel settled back in her chair a little and bit her lip before responding.

"Well, it was supposed to be, but Stanley abruptly decided to accept a position that will involve quite a bit more travel. He will be spending most of his time in Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia working on an international chain of hotels. The Vegas position did not capture his interest the way this seems to have. Apparently, from what I understand from him, he will barely be home. If that is the case, it does not matter to him where I choose to call home for myself and Charles. Grace is here. I would like to spend more time with her and I would like for she and Charles to be able to form a closer bond. Despite the difference in their ages they are siblings after all."

"Rach, don't take this the wrong way, but are things on the rocks with you and Stan?"

"Yes" Rachel bit out between gritted teeth. Danny was surprised to see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Are you pleased now, Daniel? We were trying to save our marriage when I was pregnant with Charles, and over the years we have continually grown more distant. It's just not working, but he does not wish to divorce at this time. Apparently, it is better for his standing with the company to be a family man." The last was spat out with a great deal of hurt and bitterness.

"No, Rachel, no I'm not happy. I would never want you, or Grace, or even Charlie to have to go through anything bad. That's not me at all."

Silence descended on the table for a few minutes, while Rachel again pushed her salad around on her plate. Finally, she looked up at Danny, unshed tears standing in her big, brown eyes.

"I know that's not you, Daniel. You are not the sort to enjoy someone else's misery, you never have been. I am sorry for the way we seem to always be able to find the weakest spot to attack. I wonder …. Well, Danny, I wonder if we could at least try to be friends."

Danny sat back for a minute and contemplated Rachel. He felt badly for what she was going through and he didn't want it to impact negatively on Grace in any way. He also knew that despite all their bickering over the years, Rachel was a warm, caring person and a wonderful mother. It was why he had fallen in love with her. Twice. Picking up a french fry, he gave her a sideways grin.

"I'll tell you what, Rachel, we can give the friendship thing a shot, if you will eat something a little more substantial than rabbit food."

Rachel looked startled, and then tossed her head back and laughed the hearty laugh he remembered from when things were good between them. Smiling at Danny, she waved the waitress over and ordered one of the specials, chicken salad in a (oh, for heaven's sake thought Danny) pineapple.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve took off his suit jacket and hung it up in the closet, loosened his tie, and sank into the armchair in Aunt Deb's living room. While Deb was putting Joan down for a nap, and Leonard was in the kitchen getting a couple of beers, Steve took some time to reflect.

The day after he arrived in LA, he and Leonard had gone to make Mary's identification. Steve surprised himself and broke down completely when he saw his little sister on that slab in the coroner's office, then did his best to pull himself together. After the identification, he spoke with the coroner and the investigating officer and it appeared that what happened to Mary was just an ordinary, run of the mill accident. Tragic, but a simple accident.

After that they arranged for Mary's body to be taken to a funeral home where Deb knew the owners. It had been Mary's wish to be cremated. While Leonard and Deb were with the Funeral Director's assistant discussing arrangements for the small memorial that would be held at the end of the week, Steve approached the Funeral Director to discuss the bill for his services and was informed that Leonard had already paid for everything. Leonard must have realized what he had been doing, because when Steve walked out of the Director's office, he reached over and held Deb's hand, and smiled softly.

"I need to be able to do the things that give Deb comfort, Steve. You have to allow me that."

There was no argument Steve could make, so he let the matter drop. He felt grateful for Leonard's presence in his aunt's life and was sorry for how he had misjudged the man.

The following week, Steve, Deb and Leonard would be attending the hastily called hearing at family court. Mary's adoption of Joan had been finalized a while ago. Steve was surprised that his flighty little sister actually had a will. They had all just returned from her attorney's office, where Steve found out that he was named executor of her estate, all $25,000.00 of her life insurance money and the $1,000.00 that she had in a savings account, both of which had been left in trust to Joan.

He was surprised by the existence of a will, but he was absolutely floored when he found she had also named him Joan's guardian. When the attorney informed them of this, his aunt's insistence that he and Joan get familiar with each other began to make perfect sense. The family court judge would either confirm or deny his guardianship at the hearing.

Steve was doing an admirable job of not freaking out, if he did say so himself. How could he be guardian to an 18 month old little girl? What was his sister thinking? Well, he supposed she wasn't thinking that she would be dead when Joan was only 18 months, but still. Who would watch her while he was at work? What would he do if she got sick? What if were injured? What if he were deployed? He had many questions, but very few answers.

He had always loved his Aunt, but he was reminded of why, yet again, when she returned from putting Joan down and laid a hand on his arm.

"Oh, sweetie! I know this is a lot for you to handle, but you know, Mary and I did talk about her naming you guardian for Joan. She said there was no one she would trust more with her most valuable treasure than you. That's what she called Joanie, her most valuable treasure. When I asked her how she thought you would be able to handle it if the worst happened, she said you already had a built-in support system with your Ohana in Hawaii. Actually, I think Mary was a little jealous of your friendships."

"I know she was planning to call and ask you, but she had already gone ahead and had the papers drawn up and signed. Leonard had gotten her the appointment with the attorney and she said she didn't want to waste time running back and forth. I guess she just never got around to making the call. That's so like Mary." At this Deb choked back a little sob, and corrected herself. "That was so like Mary."

Leonard had come back into the room by then, and was sitting across the room from Steve, both their beer bottles on the coffee table. "You definitely have great friends there Steve. Deb and I are going to miss Mary, and we are going to miss that little one like crazy, but she needs to be with someone young that can give her the right kind of upbringing."

"And you think that's ME?" Steve choked out. "I work at a very dangerous job. I am in the Naval Reserves. I could be called up at any time. How can I be the sort of stable, secure home a small child needs?"

Deb regarded him calmly for a moment. Then she laid her hand on his arm.

"Steve, you must make the decision that is right for you, and I will support you in whatever that decision is. But, I want to remind you that there are a lot of people who are active and reserved military, as well as law enforcement, who raise children, sometimes in single parent homes. The question is not whether you can do this, the question is whether you want to do this." Deb looked at him waiting for an answer.

Steve thought long and hard, and finally sighed deeply. He looked at his aunt with tears in his eyes and laid his hand over hers, which was still on his arm.

"I have to do this. I feel like I failed Mary in so many ways. Not staying in better touch when we were separated as kids, not staying in touch at all while I was actively serving, sending her away when she finally came to see me in Hawaii and criticizing her choice of motherhood when she came back to introduce me to Joan. I could have been supportive at any point, and I don't think I was."

"Don't beat yourself up, honey. You did the best you could. Most of the time, Mary wasn't willing to let anyone close to her. After your father sent you kids away, she was always just a little more broken than you. Now you have a chance to be a good father to Joan and I think you will do wonderfully at it, as you do everything."

"Father? I'm her Uncle Steve!" Steve said brokenly.

"That's up to you to decide, honey. Frankly, we don't even know if you will have a chance to be either until after the hearing tomorrow."

His aunt knew Steve well. The minute she put a doubt in his mind that he might not be allowed to keep Joan, his mind was made up and he was determined that he would keep her and that nothing would stand in his way. Deb could see that McGarrett determination settle over his face, and turned to look at Leonard, trying to hide her small smile of success.

Deb knew that she did not have much time remaining and when she died, with Mary already gone, Steve would have no blood family. He would never be alone, because she counted heavily on his Ohana to be there for him. She didn't count Doris as family. No loving Mother could do what she had done, and then re-surface only to disappear again.

Deb felt that this little girl was just what Steve needed to be whole again. He had been alone too much in his life and it was her belief that raising Joan could help heal what had been broken in his formative years. Deb often thought that when she arrived at the great beyond she was going to give her brother Jack the smackdown of all time.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the last three weeks while Steve had been away, Rachel had gotten settled in her new home, and she and Danny had worked out a schedule for Grace that was agreeable to both of them.

Rachel was working from home, putting her degree from the London School of Economics to use, and acquiring some private accounting clients. She hired Leila, another cousin from Chin and Kono's huge network, for housework, laundry and to watch Charlie while Rachel worked.

To Danny's surprise, Rachel was willing for him to continue to have primary physical custody of Grace. She seemed determined to do her part to solidify their new relationship as friends, and to her this seemed the best way to extend the olive branch. Danny was grateful that he was not going to be dragged back into court.

She set her work schedule so that she was able to pick Grace up from school during the week and Grace and Charlie were able to spend the afternoons together. After Danny was done with work, he would pick Grace up and take her home. As often happened with the 5-0 task force, over the last three weeks Danny had a case go overnight a couple of times. Surprisingly, all it took was a phone call and Grace was safe and secure at Rachel's for the night.

Sometimes Danny found it hard to trust in this version of Rachel. But, he remembered the person she had been when they first met and fell in love, and he knew that she was part of the reason that Grace was such a wonderful child. He decided that while he was still suspicious of her motives, he would try and accept things at face value, until she gave him a reason to change his mind.

From Rachel's perspective, she truly regretted the way her life had turned out and was determined to make some changes. She had grown up in a family where her father had been very sickly and her mother, a housewife with no skills, was terrified that he would die and they would be destitute. She passed those fears onto Rachel who absorbed them and subconsciously sought security in her own life. When she was married to Danny and he had been badly injured on the job, all those old fears rose to the surface and she panicked. Practically before she realized what had happened, they were divorced.

In retrospect, she understood she had divorced Danny out of fear. She had met and married Stanley in a whirlwind after her divorce and she now knew that she had done so out of fear again, this time the fear of being alone and the fear of being unable to provide for herself and Grace. And now, her marriage to Stanley was also full of fear. The happy marriage they projected to the outside world was far from the truth.

Four years ago, when she discovered she was pregnant with Charlie and was prepared to leave Stanley, she was shocked when Danny did not accompany them to New Jersey, but stayed behind to work on clearing Steve McGarrett of the murder of Governor Jameson. She did not think there was anything that would come before herself and Grace. After the doctor told her that the baby was undoubtedly Stan's, with him begging her to come back, and her doubt of Danny's true feelings, her fears and need for security once again re-surfaced and she chose to reconcile with Stan; love had nothing to do with her decision. Next to divorcing Danny in the first place, it was probably the worst decision of her life.

After the reconciliation between herself and Stanley, they had settled back into their routine in Hawaii with Stan constantly traveling, Rachel pregnant and Grace dividing her time between their home and Danny's. Rachel and Danny seemed to be coming to terms with the divorce and their new lives and were finally able to speak civilly to one another. Danny, not Stan, was the one who was there for Charlie's birth. Then, Grace was kidnapped, Stan was shot, and the fears were running rampant again. This time, Stan was actively feeding those fears.

When he took the new job with the Yamashita Corporation and first divulged the fact that it would entail a move to Las Vegas, Rachel fought against it because she felt another move would not be beneficial to Grace. She wanted Grace to have the stability she had lacked as a child.

She was surprised when she received the call from the school that one of the tuition checks had bounced and astounded when one of her credit cards had been refused at the store. It was only after she had done some careful, discreet investigating that she discovered that all of their assets were solely in Stan's name, and all the largest assets were in overseas accounts. There were very few U.S. assets Rachel would have been able to attach in the event of a divorce. She got the message and quietly agreed to the move. The credit issues were miraculously resolved.

When Danny surprised her and filed a motion to prevent Grace's move to Las Vegas, Rachel put her own feelings to the side and thought long and hard about what would be best for Grace. Then she did the only thing she could think of to ensure her daughter's happiness. She "forgot" about the court date for the custody hearing.

At the time, Stanley was traveling, as usual. As she had hoped, the fact she was not present and no explanation was offered by her attorney was looked upon unfavorably by the judge, and Danny was awarded joint custody which kept Grace in Hawaii. Since Stan had made it plain from the beginning that it was immaterial to him whether Grace moved with them, he got what he wanted and Rachel and Charles moved to Las Vegas.

After several promotions Stan was now a high level executive at Yamashita Corporation. Over the last few years, Rachel had become friendly with a couple of the other wives. At a women's luncheon, one of the "Yamashita Wives" was discussing a mutual friend from church who was going through a messy divorce, and leaned over to Rachel and whispered, "well, at least we know that will never happen to us."

At Rachel's puzzled look, the woman was surprised. "Didn't it ever occur to you that all the high level executives at Yamashita, men who travel practically year-round and are never home, are all married men with families? No divorces? Old man Yamashita is old-school. If any of them ever got divorced, they would be fired in a minute. My husband would do absolutely anything to make sure we stay married. No matter how miserable we are." With that, she turned to order another Bloody Mary.

When Stan came to her with his Far East promotion and a move to Thailand, armed with the strength of her new knowledge, she was able to stand her ground and refused to move. They had a series of vicious arguments, but ultimately she negotiated a return to Hawaii for herself and Charles, as well as a monthly allowance. Her friend was right. Stan would do anything to maintain the marriage.

Stanley was extremely angry, but he had to allow it or jeopardize the best job he ever had. Rachel finally felt that she might find some peace in her life, even though she would have to remain with him. Since he was never home, she felt it was a small price to pay. However, she was somewhat frightened of what Stan might do if she ever filed for divorce again.

She had selected a home in Danny's neighborhood because, with her growing business, she thought she would be able to afford it even in the event Stanley cut her off financially. She was once again afraid of the future, but she refused to let fear rule her choices this time.

Rachel and Danny's new agreement had Grace spending alternating weekends with them. Out of the last three weekends, Danny had Grace once and Rachel had her twice, so the upcoming weekend was Danny's. On Grace's previous weekend with her father, Grace had asked if Charlie could come and see the movie with them, which was fine with Danny. A couple of nights during the past few weeks when Danny had gotten off a little earlier than usual, he had taken both Grace and Charlie out for something to eat.

Danny was really beginning to love the little guy. He was a shy yet happy child who possessed a delightful personality, and Grace absolutely doted on him. He also looked a great deal like Grace had at the same age, all brown hair, brown eyes and colt-like legs. Their resemblance made it easy for Danny to love Charlie; it was like having a mini, male Grace around. Although it was sometimes painful when Danny thought how he once thought this child was his, when he saw the love the two children had for each other, he was able to get past his own pain so that his daughter and her brother could be together.

For the first week or so after Rachel's return, Charlie had been wary of him. But, since he always wanted to be with Grace, he was forced to get used to Danny. At first, he wouldn't really look at Danny or talk to him, communicating with him through Grace. Then, he warmed up a little and began calling him "Uncle Danny" at Rachel's prompting.

Danny knew he had made a friend the day he had taken Grace and Charlie to see 'Frozen" and on the way out an excited Charlie grabbed his hand and said "Danno, Danno! I love Olaf!" Danny bought him a stuffed Olaf toy right then and there at the movie theater, despite the exorbitant price.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve was slumped on the sofa in Deb and Leonard's living room looking out at the night sky in LA. Deb and Leonard were asleep in their room and Joan was sleeping in her portacrib. The family court hearing last week had confirmed him as Joan's guardian and Steve had spent the time since then getting used to what taking care of a small child entailed, with Deb's help and instruction.

Danny and Steve had spent a great deal of time on the phone during the time Steve had been gone. After the family court hearing, Steve had been panic stricken and Danny found himself talking his friend off the ledge more than once with reassurances that everything would work out fine.

Today had been the small memorial service for Mary's LA circle of friends. Disappointingly, but not surprising, he had heard from neither Joe White nor his mother. So, Mary was memorialized the way she had lived most of her life, without her mother in the picture.

The day had been tough for Steve, but it had been torturous for Deb. She had always been a strong woman, but her cancer treatments were taking a toll, as was the cancer itself. Losing Mary had really broken her spirit and it had taken everything she had to get through the memorial. Where Steve had been questioning Leonard's involvement with his aunt when he first met him, today he was thankful that she had Leonard. He had been a real rock for Deb to lean on. He wasn't sure how she would have coped without Leonard and Joan.

Tomorrow he and Joan were checking into a hotel near Deb and Leonard's place. The plan, devised by Deb, was that the two of them would spend the next two days on their own. This would give Joan a chance to get used to Steve without Deb and Leonard being around, but they would still be there if it were a complete disaster. Deb hoped that Steve would actually believe he could successfully raise Joan before he left California.

They were all going to have dinner together Sunday night and then Steve and Joan would head to the airport on Monday morning to go back to Hawaii.

A despondent Steve desperately wished he could talk to Danny, but it seemed much too late to call. His need to hear his partner's voice made him feel a little bit like a pre-adolescent schoolgirl, but as his partner kept telling him, a good life didn't just consist of gunfights and blowing things up. There was another side to him that he had kept buried all these years, and now caring for Joan had started to bring that side more to the forefront.

Despite Danny's curmudgeonly attitude, he was the best friend Steve had and he could get to the heart of his troubles with a few probing words. Danny had a way about him that made Steve comfortable with opening up and sharing his feelings.

Steve's phone vibrated on the side table. He looked at the screen and activated the call with a small smile.

"Can't sleep, Danno?"

"Just checking on ya, babe. How was the service?"

Steve shared with Danny what had happened during the day. The different friends of Mary's who had shared things with him about her and her life in L.A. How he was able to take some small comfort that at least during her last year of life, she seemed to have been doing well and was enjoying raising Joan.

Danny shared the news from Hawaii. He filled Steve in on the cases he was missing and what had been happening with the different task force members. He told Steve about how things had been going with Rachel and gave him the Grace updates. A couple of times he mentioned spending time with Charlie, which surprised Steve, but he thought Danny sounded happy. Well. As happy as Danny ever was.

During the conversation, Danny referred to Steve as Joan's Daddy. There was a silence at the other end of the line before Steve responded.

"No, Danny. I'm her Uncle Steve and I always will be. If I start calling myself Daddy, then how can Mary be her Mommy? She was my sister. It would be too confusing for such a little kid for a brother and sister to be her Dad and Mom. I don't want her to ever forget who her Mommy was and how much Mary loved her."

At that Steve's voice broke and after a startled moment, Danny quickly began a long soliloquy of how Max had recently annoyed him, in order to give Steve a chance to pull himself back together. After a few moments, Steve's breathing evened out and he interrupted Danny.

"Sorry, man. I'll be doing pretty good, but then everything begins to seem pretty overwhelming. Deb keeps telling me I can do this, but I don't know, Danny. How can I raise a kid by myself?"

"Once again, Steven, if I were there, I would clip you on the side of the head. You are not by yourself. How many times do I have to say it before it sinks into your thick skull? Are you sure the explosions you've been through haven't damaged your hearing? Maybe you've just been reading lips all this time? How would we know?"

At that, Steve finally started laughing. It had been pretty much the same thing every night since he'd been gone. Sometimes twice a day. He and Danny would talk. He would do true confessions, telling Danny how nervous he was about raising Joan. Then, he would sit back and let Danny's rant wash over him in soothing waves.

Because he was nervous about being Joan's guardian. He thought at times that he should record Danny's reassurances on his phone so that he could replay them when Danny wasn't around. His aunt could reassure him all she wanted, but he didn't depend on her opinion the way he did on Danny's. Because he trusted Danny to tell him when he had screwed something up.

Danny had already been through this. With Gracie. He may not have raised her all by himself, but he definitely was involved in every moment in that child's life and she had turned out perfect, as far as Steve was concerned. In Steve's opinion, there was no better example to follow on how to be a good father than Danny Williams.

For his part, Danny was worried about Steve. Not that Steve couldn't do this, because Danny knew he could. His worry was that Steve wouldn't give himself the chance to do it. He also worried that just when Steve had been beginning to open up a little bit and let go of that McGarrett Man reserve, that he would start to put the clamps on himself again. He hoped that Joan would be able to further open Steve's heart rather than close it off.

Danny's own heart broke for his friend and for that little girl. He would do everything in his power to help Steve cope.


	8. Chapter 8

It was late Monday afternoon and they were running late.

"Grace."

"Grace!"

"GRACE!"

"I'm coming Danno!"

"Get a move on, Grace. We don't want to be late to get SuperSeal and his little baby sealette. You know Uncle Steve is going to be pooped after all those hours on a plane with that baby."

"Joan's not a baby any more Danno! She's almost two!"

Danny laughed to himself. Grace sounded so grown-up now. He got her into Steve's truck and then got behind the wheel. He checked the backseat quickly to make sure the car seat was securely fastened in place.

"Okay, Monkey, ready to go, all buckled in?"

"Yep, I am Danno. I can't wait to see Uncle Steve. I'll bet he was really sad and it will cheer him up that we're there to get him and Joan."

Danny wished for the innocence of youth to think that after a death all you needed to be cheered up was a ride home from the airport.

"Well, I know that it always cheers me up when I get to see you Monkey, so I am sure it will be the same for Uncle Steve."

"Do you think Uncle Steve will let me babysit for Joan sometimes, Danno?"

"You're only twelve, Monkey, we'll have to see."

"I have my babysitting badge from the Aloha girls, Danno, and sometimes, if Mommy is just running to the store for something quick, I babysit Charlie. Of course Leila is usually there when that happens. But, Mommy still pays me for my time, so it counts as babysitting!"

"Well, if you get paid, it must count. But, don't be asking Uncle Steve about it yet. I don't think he's quite sure what he's got himself into, and we don't want to get him all confused, okay?

"Okay, Danno. Oh, Mommy wants to know if you want to take Charlie with when you take me to the aquarium this weekend. She said she would call you later to see."

"That's fine, Monkey. Do you want to take Charlie with?"

"Yeah! It would be fun to show him all the neat stuff there. Remember how much fun he had when we took him to see 'Frozen?' Maybe we could ask Uncle Steve and Joan to go with us too."

"That's a great idea, Monkey, we'll ask Uncle Steve right away, so he has a chance to plan."

With that, he finished loading them into Steve's truck and headed out to pick up his best friend and the newest little addition to their Ohana from the airport.

Steve and Joan had said good-bye to Aunt Deb at the condo. She didn't want to make the drive to the airport because she was so weepy, so that duty fell to Leonard. After Leonard dropped them off, Steve checked their bags in with the skycap.

They had already taken care of donating most of Mary's things to Goodwill and the few things that were solely Joan's were packed in her suitcase. It had saddened Steve even further to see how little his sister had owned.

Steve hoisted his backpack and Joan's diaper bag (he couldn't believe that Deb had managed to find a camo one) and lifted Joanie in his arms.

"Ready for the flight, princess?"

"Weady Unca S'eve" the little girl grinned. She was not quite sure what she was ready for, but over the past three weeks she had become accustomed to the tall man being with her all the time, and although she sometimes asked for Mommy, the memories of her were beginning to fade.

Deb had packed some juice, snacks, toys, books, changes of clothes plus diapers and wipes in the bag for Joan. Steve had become rather adept at changing diapers anywhere and everywhere as they had gotten used to being together. Joan apparently was never accustomed to a regular schedule, so she was very adaptable to whatever the plan of the day was.

As he strode through the airport, holding the pretty, blond haired girl in her little purple dress and sandals in his arms, he didn't notice the many admiring glances they received. He and Joan made it through TSA security with no problems and had just settled into a couple of chairs after checking in at their boarding gate, when the boarding agent approached them.

"Mr. McGarrett? I'd like to change your boarding passes. I'm able to offer you and your daughter an upgrade to seats in first class."

Steve smiled winningly at the woman and thanked her profusely. They spent a little time talking before she had to call the flight and the woman offered him a business card with her phone number, "in case you ever come back through LA."

Joan was buckled in the car seat in back, Grace was buckled in the seat next to her, a very tired and worn looking Steve was in the passenger seat and Danny was actually in the driver's seat of McGarrett's truck taking them home.

"You must be more exhausted than I imagined, letting me drive" he told his friend.

"Danno, you have no idea. After the court hearing, I stayed that extra week so that Joan could get used to having me around while Deb was there to smooth out the edges. The last two nights, I took a hotel for us so that she could get used to just me, but Deb was only a phone call away, just in case. Now, it's just going to be the two of us."

"Well, now I'm the one that's just a phone call away, just in case. Who have you gotten for day care while you're at work?"

"Deb found this place a couple of blocks from the house. They have a good reputation and they have accepted Joan into their program, so I guess we're all set. Hey, by the way, thanks again for getting a room put together for Joan."

During the time Steve had been in LA, Danny, Chin and Kono had worked hard in their spare time turning one of the three upstairs bedrooms into a nursery for Joan. Danny's reminder to the others to adhere to Steve's mantra of "if it's free, it's for me," had Chin and Kono mining their network of cousins for supplies.

They had been able to obtain a crib which would convert to a toddler bed, a changing table, and two dressers, none of which matched. There were also sheet sets and curtains, a high chair, a booster chair and several car seats.

The 5-0 team had cleaned the room out thoroughly, boxing up its contents and storing them in the garage for Steve to sort through later. The room, utilitarian and plain, was set and waiting for Joan.

"Yeah, no problem. Okay, Super Seal, so I have Grace this coming weekend, and we were wondering if you two would like to join the three of us at the aquarium on Saturday?"

"Nah, Danny, if you're going on a date with Amber and Grace, you don't need Joan and me there."

"A date, a date, what are you….OH! No, you goof, the third person will be Charlie."

"Charlie? Grace's brother, Charlie? What are you doing with Charlie?"

"I guess I have a lot to cover, don't I big guy?"

"You hafta come Uncle Steve!" Grace piped up from the back seat. "You don't even know Charlie yet, and I'll bet he and Joanie would play together nice. Joanie's almost two and Charlie's almost four so they're pretty much the same age! Pleeeze, Uncle Steve! Puh-leeeeeze!"

"Grace, I have told you before that begging is not attractive and it is no way to get someone to agree to do something."

"I'm sorry, Danno. I'm sorry, Uncle Steve."

"It's okay, sweetie" Steve replied. He always hated to see Grace in trouble, even though it was a rare occurrence. "I think it would be great fun if Joan and I went to the aquarium with you. I love to see the Monk Seals."

"Of course you do!" groaned out Danny.

"Hey Danny, can we stop for something to eat? I'm famished."

"Well, buddy, lucky for you I stocked your kitchen. I got kid friendly food for Joan and Grace, some great salami and pastrami for yours truly, and enough of that healthy gunk that you like to keep you satisfied. So the girls can play outside until Joan crashes, which won't be too long, and you and I can put dinner together while I get you up to speed on stuff that's been going on while you were away. It's hard to cover everything on the phone."

"Sounds good, partner, sounds really good."


	9. Chapter 9

Tuesday morning dawned with 5-0 getting a new case that had them working insane hours for the balance of the week. Danny was beginning to fear the aquarium outing might be out for the weekend.

Steve was taking the remainder of the week to try and get Joan settled in at the house before he returned to work, so they were still down a man. He offered to come in when he spoke with Danny, but was assured the team was handling everything fine.

In addition to the crazy case they were working, it was also Danny's week with Grace, so between running around on the case and trying to get a few minutes with Grace every day, he hadn't been able to get back to Steve's. He called him several times a day and every night and each time Steve assured him that he had everything under control.

Kono told Danny that she had also called to check on Steve multiple times, and Chin had texted a couple of times, but every time they were reassured that Steve and Joan were doing just fine. They didn't need anything and Steve appreciated the call (or text).

Danny felt badly that he hadn't gotten back there, but he knew Steve liked his privacy and figured he just wanted some time to settle into his new reality. He was sure his partner would call if it was getting to be too much. He heaved a huge sigh of relief when they got a lucky break and were able to close the case late Friday night.

* * *

Saturday morning dawned sunny and gorgeous, a perfect Hawaiian day. Danny woke Grace up early, and they both got ready in record time. He made sure she was buckled safely into the Camaro and they headed over to Steve's, figuring they could have breakfast there.

Danny unlocked the door, keyed in the code for the alarm, and let his excited daughter enter the house before him. "Whoa, what a mess" came quietly from Grace.

Danny entered and looked around. A mess was an understatement. Steve's normally clean, military ordered house looked, well, if Danny were being honest with himself, it looked as though Danny had been staying there. For six months.

He could hear crying coming from upstairs and some frantic soothing going on. He exchanged glances with Grace, pointed at the sofa, and told her to get the cartoons started while he went upstairs.

He entered Joanie's room and saw Steve cradling the wailing child, looking a bit like he wanted to cry himself. The look of relief on his face at the sight of Danny would have been funny, if he hadn't seemed so panic-stricken. "She's just miserable, Danno. She's been fussy all week. She wouldn't sleep last night and she's just edgy and crying, and I don't know what's wrong."

"Okay, hand her over Steve. Go get a swim or a shower or whatever you think might calm you down. Maybe a swim AND a shower. Grace is downstairs watching cartoons. I'll get this little one a quick bath and get her dressed and then maybe I can get Joanie and Grace to eat something before we head out."

Joanie stopped crying as soon as she heard Grace's name. "Gwacie. Wanna pway with Gwacie." she started babbling. Joan had latched onto Grace Monday after the airport and the two children had spent several happy hours playing.

Steve looked so relieved; he wasn't even upset that the waterworks had stopped so suddenly. He was just happy they stopped.

"Yeah, yeah Danno, that's a good idea. I'm gonna go for a swim. I'll be back in soon."

Steve dashed off to pull on board shorts and get into the water. Danny began wondering how far out he would swim before he decided to turn back. Steve had looked so upset he hoped he DID turn back. He suddenly realized how overwhelmed his friend must be with all the changes that had happened in his life recently, and he was starting to kick himself that he hadn't been more present during the week.

Danny was able to get Joanie bathed and changed in record time, even with Grace helping. He then set the girls up with a nice cereal and juice breakfast in front of the TV. He figured that with the shape of the living area, it wasn't going to make much difference if they spilled.

After a careful observation, with an experienced father's eye, he also realized part of Joan's problem and called Rachel. Happy they wouldn't have to make a stop at the drugstore for anbesol since Rachel still had some on hand, he waited for Steve to come back from his swim so they could get the aquarium outing underway.

When Steve came in, Danny confirmed that he hadn't given Joan any Children's Tylenol. He dug out the bottle he kept at the house for Grace and gave Joanie a dose. Then he began to gather up the supplies and the people and got everyone into Steve's truck to go pick up Charlie. And the anbesol.

He realized he was going have to sit Steve down and explain to him the meaning of family where Danny came from. When things were going wrong or you were feeling overwhelmed, pick up a phone and call for help!

Everyone had already offered, Danny, Chin, Kono, Grover, even Max. Either in his grief, or because he didn't want to be a bother, Steve had been shutting them all out, but that was not going to help either Steve or Joan settle in and be happy.

The whole team had been so busy that they had given Steve too much space over the last week and Danny now saw that was the wrong approach. The man battened down the hatches whenever he was overwhelmed, and he was only going to make it harder on both himself and Joan.

The team would have to start being a little more intrusive and invasive, and the thought of that warmed Danny's Jersey heart.

* * *

"Big fish, really big fish!" Charlie called out.

"Fisss" was Joanie's happy voice.

"This is fun, isn't it Uncle Steve?" and there was Gracie wanting to be sure that everyone, especially her beloved Uncle was having a good time.

And he was. The swim and shower had done marvels in calming him down. Until he got out of the shower, he hadn't realized how keyed up he had been. Danny's presence also was settling his nerves.

He could not believe he hadn't realized that Joan was teething. He thought she had all her teeth already! Apparently there was such a thing as two year old molars. Who knew? It was just another example of how much he did not know about raising children.

But, this part of raising children he was really enjoying. They were all having a wonderful time at the aquarium. He had been able to coax a reluctant Charlie into riding on his shoulders and he looked down into the shining eyes of Grace and nodded. "Yep, Gracie, this is great fun!"

Danny had Joanie in one of those high riding backpacks that had the child facing forward (another freebie from the cousin connection). She was bright eyed and happy, and after having some anbesol rubbed on her gum where her new tooth was arriving, she was also pain free, which certainly contributed to the happiness.

Danny thought to himself that he might have to rearrange who was carrying what child when they took a break, because Joan also loved running her little fingers through his hair. Over and over again. He just knew it was now an absolute mess and flying everywhere. He wasn't sure Steve would switch with him though, because when he looked over at the big goof he saw the smirk that was being directed at him.

"It looks like baby drool might work as a good substitute for whatever hair product you've been using Danno."

"Shut up you" Danny hissed back at him.

They spent a few hours at the aquarium. Danny spent most of the time keeping the two little ones contained, while Steve enjoyed explaining details about the different fish to Grace. Even Charlie was paying attention to a lot of Steve's descriptions, not that he understood most of them.

At first Charlie was very nervous with the larger man, but he was absolutely fascinated with Joanie. He wasn't used to spending much time with children his own age, and the two little ones were definitely enjoying being together. Charlie must have finally decided that Steve must be okay, since he came with Joan, and seemed to know so much about fish.

"Does this one bite, Unca Steve?" Charlie bravely asked.

Steve looked startled for a minute, surprised at being called "Uncle," by the little boy, and chanced a quick glance at Danny, who gave him an encouraging nod and gestured for him to answer.

"No, buddy. This one doesn't bite. This is a jellyfish….." and Steve continued his informative tour for an enraptured Charlie and Grace.

They stopped for a quick lunch at the aquarium, which was enjoyable even though Danny grumbled through most of it that it was highway robbery for them to charge an admission fee and also charge such a high price for lunch when most families were just trying to make ends meet. When Grace met Steve's eyes over their drinks, her little smirk and eye roll had him laughing out loud, which sent Danny off on yet another rant, the subject of which seemed to be 'stupid Neanderthals who don't know how to treat their friends'.

They continued their tour of the aquarium after lunch, but between Joanie's tooth and Charlie having a bit of a meltdown, Danny soon knew it was time for the group to head for home ground. He pulled everyone together and got them into Steve's truck, the two baby seats were at each of the windows and Grace was buckled into the middle seat. Danny had shotgun and Steve drove (of course).

They headed back to Steve's house and put both Charlie and Joanie down for naps. The two little ones were out in a matter of moments. Danny had put them both in the same room and then grabbed the baby monitor so that he or Steve would hear when the kids woke up.

He headed downstairs where Grace and Steve were preparing to head out for a swim.

"Gonna join us Danno?" his partner smiled over at him.

"Actually, babe, I'm gonna sit this one out. Is that okay, Grace?"

"Sure, Danno. Uncle Steve's going to help me work on some of my different swim strokes for the school's swim club. Try-outs are next week, remember?"

"That's right, Monkey. I almost forgot! Good thing, Super Seal has you covered, right?"

"Yep, Danno. I think some of my strokes are coming along pretty good. Uncle Steve says so anyway."

"Well, if Uncle Steve says so, it must be true. Danno's just going to sit here on the lanai and enjoy some of Uncle Steve's yummy lemonade while you guys swim."

Gracie rolled her eyes (Danny wondered if this was a bad habit he needed to speak to Rachel about) and smiled at Steve as she noted.

"Danno is going to have a quick beer while we are out of sight. I think the little ones did him in."

Steve burst out laughing at the disconcerted look on Danny's face.

"Your little girl is growing up Danny. You aren't going to be able to slip much past her anymore."

Danny groaned because he knew it was true. He cheerily waved his partner and his daughter out to swim, popped the lid on a Longboard and headed into Steve's house to see if he could put it into any kind of order while the kids slept.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Warning. This chapter made me sad. **But the Hawaii Ohana needed to say good-bye to Mary. So, today is a two-fer. I am posting this chapter now and will post a happier chapter later in the afternoon.

Thanks to everyone who has commented, faved or followed. I am enjoying playing with the characters and how their at home lives would be. So many writers do the cases and whump much better than I.

* * *

Steve buckled Joanie into the back seat of his truck. The plan was for everyone to meet them at the beach where Malia's ceremony had been held. Danny had arranged for Rachel to bring Charlie so that Joan would have someone to play with and Rachel could mind the kids during Mary's paddle-out. Steve was slightly taken aback that Danny was now on such good terms with his ex that he could ask for the favor, but he appreciated the fact that Rachel was willing to do it.

When they arrived, Steve was surprised at the turn-out, just as he had been at Mary's LA memorial. He had not realized how many people his sister knew or how fast the word would spread. He was grateful to his band of Ohana that were there to support him.

He knew that Danny, Chin, Leilani, Kono and Adam would be there, but he was somewhat surprised to see Lou Grover and his wife, Duke Lukela, Charlie Fong, Kamekona, Flippa, Max Bergman with Sabrina, Mindy Shaw, Jerry Ortega, and Mamo, plus quite a few others he didn't know. Not everyone was planning to paddle-out. Some were just staying on the beach in a show of support.

Steve had tried once again to get in touch with Joe White, but this time he wasn't even able to reach the man, only his voicemail. He had left several messages on Joe's phone, and while he was disappointed, he wasn't really surprised that Joe hadn't called him back.

Steve gently handed the urn containing his sister's ashes to the Kahuna and turned to grab his board. Before he could get to it, Grace ran up to him, grabbed him around the waist and wrapped herself around him, but didn't say a word.

Steve hugged her and kissed the top of her head, while quirking an eyebrow at his partner, who had approached them carrying two surfboards. He was surprised Danny was letting her do this.

"It was important to her. She wouldn't take no for an answer, no matter how times I said it. She's going to stay right between Kono and Chin, aren't you Monkey?"

"Yes, Danno. You said they would be the best ones to stay with because Uncle Steve needed to concentrate on the ceremony and you're still not so good on your board."

Danny blushed a little at the comment, and seeing that, Steve reflected again on what a good father Danny was. He would rather release his pride and let Grace know that he felt someone else could protect her better, than take any sort of chance with her safety.

Since he had already greeted Rachel and Charlie and turned Joan over to them, he headed for the water, with Mary's mourners behind him. Everyone paddled out and when he drew into the circle he was pleased to see that Grace was obedient as always, with her board right between Chin and Kono. Adam had let Danny have the spot next to Kono so that Danny could still feel close to his daughter, since he couldn't be right next to her.

Steve's mind wandered a little during the ceremony, and then his eyes began to as well. His eyes ranged from the mourners gathered on the shore, to the cars in the parking lot and then around the people arrayed on blankets in the sand. He picked out Rachel and the two children and noticed that there was a woman kneeling in the sand who Rachel was speaking with. Just as the ceremony was nearing completion, the woman stood up and hurried away, and Steve realized that she had the same build as his mother, but he couldn't leave the circle to check before the ceremony finished.

The Kahuna completed the ceremonial words, gently emptied the ashes onto the water, and everyone threw their leis into the water on top of the ashes. The ceremony was complete. Steve immediately angled his board and paddled furiously to shore. He could distantly hear Danny calling his name, but didn't stop until he reached his destination.

"Rachel, who was that woman talking to you just now?"

"I don't know Comman…Steve. She just stopped and complimented how beautiful the children were. She must be partial to little girls, because she was really enamored with Joan. I felt sorry for her because she told me that she had once been very close to Mary, and didn't want to miss her ceremony."

"Is that all she said?"

"Pretty much. She seemed rather broken up. It is odd, though. She was keeping an eye on the ceremony and as soon as it looked like the Kahuna was close to being finished, she left right away. If she was a friend of Mary's, I would have thought she would wait to give you condolences."

"No, it's not odd at all. Not for that woman. Anyway, thanks again for keeping an eye on Joan. I hope you and Charlie will come with to Kamekona's."

"Thank you for the invite Comm, Steve. But, I believe we will head for home. My condolences once again, on your loss."

Steve nodded and holding Joanie turned to see his Ohana waiting for him. They were planning to gather at Kamekona's. It may have been a little too casual for someone else, but for his sister, it was just the sort of memorial service she would have planned for herself. Sunshine, friends, food and a beer or three.


	11. Chapter 11

The week after the paddle-out, Danny looked up from his desk and saw Steve hurrying out of his office, cell phone to his ear, and looking more frazzled than normal, even lately. Danny scampered out to see what was going on.

"We get a case, babe?"

"No, that was Wee Care Day Care. I have a budget meeting with the Governor tonight, they have a rule that you have to pick the children up by 6:30, I was trying to see if they could stay later if I paid extra, but they won't and they reminded me that I have been late four times in the last four weeks, and that if that continues I will have to 'find an alternative child care service.'" With Steve's hands flapping around making air quotes, he looked a little like Danny in one of his rants.

"Don't worry about it big guy, I was just heading out to take Grace and Charlie to dinner. I'll just pick up Joan first and take the three of them. Let's switch cars, that way I'll have Joan's car seat and Charlie's fits in the back of the truck too."

"Danny, you're a lifesaver! I honestly don't know how single parents do all of this. We do great at night, of course she's asleep for most of that, but from the time the alarm goes off in the morning, it's just an absolute zoo getting her out the door to the day care and then working all day, picking her up and getting dinner. I do enjoy our time at night though."

"Yeah, they're so fun at this age." Danny smiled softly. Then he narrowed his eyes at Steve.

"Listen buddy, at that meeting with the Governor, you just remind him that you are a single parent now, so he can just juggle his schedule so that he can have these meetings during the day. Unless you're on a case, you don't need to be having night meetings. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Danny took a closer look at his friend. Steve looked exhausted. Danny knew Steve could handle being a parent to Joan, but he also knew that Steve needed more help than he was getting. He had the day care Monday through Friday, but he was pretty much on his own at night and on the weekends. Danny and Grace spent as much time as they could with Steve and Joan, but they had their own home. Steve definitely needed more of a break than he was getting.

Since the day at the aquarium they had taken the three children on another outing together, and had several more planned. The two men had also taken all three children out for dinner a couple times. Grace loved being the "chief babysitter" as Danny had dubbed her on these outings and the two toddlers got along extraordinarily well.

Luckily, since Steve had been back there hadn't been a case that had required any overnight work, but it was only a matter of time until that happened and then what would they do? Danny couldn't actually believe the solution he was considering, but the only way to find out if it would work would be to ask.

Danny took Steve's truck and headed over to Wee Care Day Care. Steve had put him down on the approved pick-up list the first day he took Joan there. As he entered the main room, the little blond haired girl saw him and came running, with her little arms raised and calling out "Danno, Danno!" He gave a big grin as he knelt down, opened his arms and scooped her up. He began to pepper her cheeks with kisses as he greeted her.

"Hello, Kitten! Did you have fun at Day Care today?"

"Fun, Danno! Lossa fun! Where Unca S'eve?"

"Uncle Steve had to work late Kitten. How would you like to get Grace and Charlie and go have some dinner?

"Gwacie! Chawie! Yay!" She stopped for a minute and wrinkled her little nose at Danny. "Kame?" she said hopefully.

Danny burst out laughing. The little girl's instant love for Kamekona had surprised all of them, mostly the big man himself. "Sure, Kitty-cat. If the other kids want that too, we can go to Kamekona's. His shrimp's probably healthier for you then the burgers around here anyway, but don't tell him I said so, okay?"

Danny and Joan headed out to pick up Grace and Charlie and then they went to Kamekona's. He started out from the shrimp truck when he saw them getting out of the truck, and Joanie's little legs double timed it over to him. He leaned over and swung her up into a big hug. Charlie was a little more reticent, but he was also hugged heartily by the big man, as was Grace. Danny put his hands up in a warding gesture as he backed away from Kamekona.

"That's all the hugs you're getting buddy. I'm going to just insist you stay out of my personal space. 'Kay?"

"Okay, Jersey. I'd rather hug your keiki's anyway. You want the usual?"

"Yeah, that would be perfect. We'll just grab a table. Kitten, you go with Grace and she'll get you all set up."

The two girls headed for the picnic table and began to settle in. Danny felt a tug on his hand and looked down at his side to see Charlie standing right next to him and looking up at him with a question in his eyes.

"What's up, buddy?"

The little boy's cheeks turned bright red, but he seemed pretty determined to get to what was on his mind. "Umm. Danno? How come you call Grace Monkey and you call Joan Kitten, but I um, well..." The little boy ran out of steam and started to turn away, but Danny put a quick hand on his shoulder and turned him back.

"You know what, you're right Charlie. I just didn't realize it. I have been calling Grace Monkey for so long, and Kitten just kind of happened with Joan, but you need a special Danno nickname of your very own, and buddy just doesn't do the trick, does it?"

The little boy looked up at him with such hopeful, trusting eyes that were so much like Grace's that Danny suddenly felt his throat tighten with all the love he felt for Charlie.

"Hmmmmm. Lemme think for a minute. Hey!" He snapped his fingers and grinned his patented Danno grin at the little guy. "How about Tiger? That's perfect for you! Brave and powerful and strong! It's just right."

Danny thought he would melt right there on the sand from the sheer wattage of the beaming smile that Charlie directed at him.

"Tiger! I'm a Tiger, Danno! I hafta tell Grace and Joan." And he ran off to the picnic table with all the speed a three year old could muster.

Danny was almost knocked over by the force of the pat on the back Kamekona delivered to him.

"I'll tell ya, bruddah! You are one special kind of Haole, and that's no kidding!"

"Thanks a bunch, Shamu. Now, where's our shrimp?"


	12. Chapter 12

Since Steve had already finished with the Governor, Danny was able to drop Joan off before he headed over to Rachel's to drop off Charlie. When Rachel invited him in because Grace had to run in for her homework, Danny drew his nerve together, "Rach, can we talk for a little bit?"

"Of course, Danny. Is anything wrong?"

"No, actually things have been going pretty good, knock wood. But, I'm worried about Steve…and Joan."

"Oh, dear, I hope things are all right with them. She is a delightful little girl, but I think the Commander might be a tad in over his head."

"And that's where you're right. See, this is what's been going on…."

Danny laid out for Rachel Steve's difficulties with the child care given their work schedules. The "new" Rachel, who was very much like the "original" Rachel, didn't fail to rise to the occasion, which is just what Danny was hoping for. She laughed a little when she said "I guess we are just going to end up being a rather unorthodox family, aren't we? "

"Seriously Danny, at a certain point, two children, three children, it doesn't make a lot of difference to me, and Joan is a true joy. Why don't we just leave it that when you find that Grace is going to need to stay here late or even overnight due to your duties, that we just have the same arrangement for Joan? She is used to Grace and Charles, and I must say that I have loved spending time with her."

"It's much better for her to have as stable an environment as possible, especially after all the changes the poor little thing has had to adapt to. I have that small sewing room next to Charlie's room, and you know how much I love to sew. I can convert it into a room for Joan and put in a small crib or toddler bed for her."

"Thanks, Rach! That's everything I could hope for. Oh! By the way, if Charlie starts to have a big interest in Tigers, you should know where it's coming from." Danny proceeded to tell her about the nicknaming, and tried to ignore how brightly her eyes shone at him with her pleasure at his having spared her little son's feelings.

* * *

Danny hadn't even had a chance to tell Steve about the new arrangement before it was time to actually call on Rachel for help. They had a case personally delivered to them by the Governor late Thursday afternoon. It involved one of the Governor's major contributors who had been taken in by a false charity and there was going to be a lot of late hours going over financials and some stakeout duty as well. The Governor was pressing them for a fast resolution.

Steve looked a little wild eyed as he realized that he was going to have to not only figure out an alternative for picking up Joan but also arrange something for overnight. Danny just put a hand on his shoulder, "Babe, I've got this." He picked up the phone and dialed up Rachel.

"You can pick her up? Great! I'll have Steve call and give them the permission at that Wee Care place. Didn't have a chance to get you put on the regular pick-up roster yet, but he'll take care of that right away. I doubt they'll give him a problem over the phone, they're going to be so relieved that someone will get her before closing time. Okay, we'll check in with you later." Danny began walking, filling Steve in as they went.

"Okay, babe, Rachel is going to get Joan. Leila is still at the house, so she can watch Charlie and Grace while Rach runs out. Rach will keep her overnight too. Oh, you're going to have to get a bag together for her in the next couple of days or you're going to end up owing Rach dough, probably a LOT of dough. She loves to shop and shopping for baby girl clothes was one of her favorite things when Gracie was little…um….you okay, Steve?" Danny stopped and turned around, realizing Steve hadn't followed him.

Steve stood there and the deer in the headlights look he sported was completely out of place on his normally self-assured face. He looked as though he were having difficulty deciphering what Danny had said.

"Why would Rachel be picking up Joan?"

"Oh, man, I meant to talk to you about this before we needed to use her, but I just talked to her the other day, and didn't have a chance to tell you before…. well, here's how this is going to work…" and Danny laid out his master plan of child care.

"She doesn't mind? That's a lot to ask, especially of your ex, man. You sure this is cool?"

"Yeah, we actually have been getting along pretty good since she's been back. The co-parenting thing has been working for us. So, I guess we're just going to add you and Joan into the mix. Who knows how long it will work, but all we can do is give it a shot, right?"

"Thanks, Danny. You don't know how much this means to me to know that Joan is safe and secure when things are going on with the task force. I was starting to wonder if maybe being her guardian was more than I could handle." Steve's voice faltered at that.

Danny clapped him on the back.

"Babe, I told you, we're going to make this work, don'cha worry about a thing."

* * *

They had to put the "Rachel solution" into effect several times over the next few months. Rachel was true to her word, having Joan was no problem for her. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She had always dreamed of having more children, but it seemed her marital issues were going to limit her to two. When Joan entered her life, she just folded the little girl in with her own children. She absolutely adored Joan, and Joan returned that love.

Danny was right again, Rachel loved to shop for little girl clothes. Steve ended up owing Rachel quite a bit of "dough" due to the many shopping trips she took with the girls, although Rachel refused to accept any money from him.

It was a relief to Steve that Joan was so well cared for and the clothes were a particular relief. He really wouldn't have minded the cost, as much as he would have minded the shopping. Plus, as Danny constantly teased him, little girls needed to wear 'more than cargos and tee shirts.'

After picking up Joanie the first time, Rachel signed Charlie up for Wee Care Day Care as well. She thought it was good for him to have the interaction with other children. They settled into a routine. Whether or not Rachel was dropping Grace off at school, she and Charlie would swing by Steve's house every morning to pick up Joan and then dropped both children at the day care. She would then head back to her house to work.

At 3:00 every day, Rachel picked up all three of the children and brought them back to her house. The two little ones went down for naps and Grace would get started on her homework. If 5-0 was having a horrendous day, with one phone call, she would keep all the children overnight and get them all to their proper schools the next day. If 5-0 was having a regular workday, Danny and Steve would pick up Grace and Joan. Sometimes all three adults and three children had dinner together and sometimes they were each at their respective homes.

Now that Leila didn't need to watch Charlie while Rachel worked, she began going to Steve's on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for a couple of hours in the morning to clean his house and run laundry. Just having that extra help suddenly made Steve's life a lot more manageable.

True to Danny's earlier decision, the team began descending on Steve's house on the weekends. It wasn't always everyone, every time, but it would be a rare weekend where Steve and Joan were left completely alone. They also tried to work things so that Steve could get some alone time without Joan.

Rather than being bothered by the attention, Steve appreciated all the help. He knew he had been a solitary person, but since returning to Hawaii from LA, he found himself craving company more and more. The loss of his sister had affected him deeply and made him more open to the overtures of his Ohana and he was extremely thankful for all of them.

Chin Ho Kelly was always ready to head out on an excursion whether it was spear fishing, surfing, or deep water fishing.

For the spear or deep water fishing, Lou Grover was always ready to join in, but the big man refused to get up on a surfboard.

Danny would go surfing, but he absolutely refused to have another deep water fishing outing with Steve. He said that considering what a danger magnet Steve was, he fully expected the Loch Ness Monster to attack them if they were out on open water again.

Kono would always surf with Steve, and often made plans to run with him as well, She laughed heartily when she had presented him with a camo jogging stroller for Joan so she could go along. Grace had discovered a joy of running during the time Steve had trained her for the President's Physical Fitness Award, and she went with them on some of their shorter runs.

Steve's family in California was not forgotten either. Danny had spoken to Chin, who luckily had a tech-savvy cousin living in LA. He put him in touch with Deb and Leonard and soon they were hooked up and trained with an easy system for FaceTime. Chin set up Steve's portable computer with it as well.

At least once a week, and more often if things were quiet, Steve and Joan would call Deb and Leonard to chat and keep in touch. Deb still continued to look well, but Leonard was obviously deteriorating. Even so, it was clear how much he adored Deb and the feeling was definitely reciprocated.

But, no matter how close he felt to these other friends and family, Danny was still the only one he had ever taken to the petroglyphs. When it came to family, Danny was the brother he never had, and he loved Grace mightily.

The time he and Joan spent with the Williams family was deeply treasured. He even began to receive sporadic phone calls from Clara Williams checking in on them. He felt as though for all the family he had lost, he had also found an amazing new family where he belonged.

**A/N: I just want to take a minute to thank anyone who has faved, followed, or left a comment for this story. I am enjoying writing it and I am glad that there is someone out there who is enjoying reading it! Thanks so much! More coming tomorrow!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N - I am not a parent and I have had it happen to me. You may have had it happen to you. Dedicated to anyone who has spent time around kids and had it happen to you! :)**

Steve is starting to feel a little cocky about parenting. Then, real life rears its ugly head.

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Over the next month or so, Steve was finally beginning to feel that everything had settled into place. The schedule he was on concerning Joan worked almost perfectly. He did miss his morning swims, but he could make do. He was beginning to have some confidence that he was doing well as Joan's guardian.

In fact, if the truth were told, he was feeling a little cocky about things and wondering why people made child-rearing sound like such a big deal. Granted, he had Rachel's help. Well, also Day Care. And you couldn't forget Leila. And Danny and Grace and the rest of the Ohana. But so far everything was working out just great, and Steve was patting himself on the back that he was doing such a good job.

* * *

Danny was in his office on the phone and flailing his free arm around as usual. He looked at Steve and waved him over.

"Hey babe, this concerns you too. Rach, I'm gonna put you on speaker."

"Hello Commander. How are you today?"

"Never better Rachel and yourself?"

"Perfectly well, thanks. The reason for my call is that Grace has a Cheer Invitational that is on the mainland. They have not given us much notice, one of the teams dropped out, and hers was the next in ranking. It starts this coming Friday in LA, and I would like to take her, which means we would be leaving Thursday afternoon. I would not be able to pick up Joan on Friday or Monday, but Grace and I will be back Monday afternoon. I was asking Danny if he could handle Charles for the weekend."

"And I told her it would be no trouble. I want my Monkey to be able to enjoy herself and bring home a medal. Charlie won't be a problem, Rach."

"As for me, Rachel, I can handle Joan. I appreciate everything you do, but it's been a quiet week for us here and hopefully it will stay that way."

"Well, I wish I could offer Leila for assistance, but she is going to the Big Island to visit some friends this weekend, so you chaps will be on your own!"

"No problem, Rach. Steve and I will just pick up Joan and Charlie from Wee Care on Thursday after work, and you and Grace can head right to the airport when she gets out of school. Just make sure she calls me on the way, okay?"

"That's no problem, Danny. Thanks and I will talk to you later. Ta!"

Danny looked at Steve and smiled.

"Charlie and I will just hang with you and Joan from Thursday 'till they get back. What could go wrong?"

* * *

On Thursday, Danny and Steve were in the truck heading to get the two littles from Wee Care. Danny was just finishing up his call with Grace.

"You have a great time, Grace. Do great, be careful, and stay with your Mom at all times, okay?" He listened for a minute and smiled. "Yes, Uncle Steve is right here, but he's driving like a maniac, so he can't talk right now."

"You'll do great, Gracie! Kick some butt!" Steve called over.

"Steven! That's my little girl… What's that Monkey? Okay, okay. Tell your Mom to call me when you get there, okay? Safe flight, sweetheart. I love you!"

Danny hung up the phone as Steve pulled into the Wee Care parking lot. He hopped out of the car as Danny got out on the other side. As they entered the playroom, Charlie saw them and came skipping over, "Danno!" "Unca Steve!" he trilled happily.

"Hey, Tiger!" Danny called out. "Where's your partner in crime, my little Kitten?"

"She on her nap mat Danno. She too tired to play today."

Danny and Steve exchanged glances and made their way over to where they could see Joan's tousled blond head. She was just laying there and hugging her baby doll.

"Hey Joanie! Time to go." Steve called out.

" Hi Danno! Unca S'eve, uppy." The little girl smiled at him and held her arms out to be picked up.

"That kid is going to have useless little toothpicks for legs the way you carry her everywhere, Steven."

"Ah, lighten up Francis. She's only going to be this little for a short time."

A confused little Charlie chimed in,

"He not Francis, he Danno."

Steve laughed.

"You're right, buddy, he IS Danno."

The two men signed their charges out at the desk and loaded them into the truck.

"What about dinner, kids? How about Kamekona's?" Steve knew the big man's shrimp truck was always a winner.

"Yummy, Unca Steve" shouted Charlie.

"No wanna Unca S'eve. Not hung'y." came Joanie's little voice.

"Oh, boy, Joanie, you must have overdone it at lunch" Steve teased as he headed to Kamekona's.

"That's unusual for her not to be hungry, babe." Danny noted.

"Once we get there, they'll both eat plenty, Danno."

They got the kid's shrimp meals and a garlic shrimp for each of the adults and sat down to eat. Charlie did pretty good on his, but Joan just ate a little bit and then pushed the plate away. She perked up a little when Kamekona came out to talk to them, but when he went back to the truck she was just a huddled little mess.

"I think it's time we get the kids home and to bed, Steve. I don't think Joanie's feeling too good."

"Ah, Danny, always with the sky is falling. She's fine. Just a little tired from a busy day. But, sure let's get them home and in their pajamas. Tomorrow's another day."

* * *

They loaded the kids into the truck and headed for Steve's. They were just pulling in, when Joan started crying and saying "icky, icky." Steve pulled into the parking area in front of his house and got out of the truck. He opened the back door and began to undo Joan from her car seat, asking her,

"What's icky, sweetie?"

As he picked her up and pulled her out of the truck, she began crying a little harder, hiccupped and then threw up all over Steve. And herself. He stood there in shock, holding the crying toddler straight away from his body with his arms ramrod stiff, eyes wide in shock, both of them covered in vomit. Steve's throat was working spasmodically, and he looked like he might vomit himself.

"Oh, man. Oh gross. Hang on Steve. Charlie, stay in the car seat for a minute. Oh, blech. Okay, Steve, let me have her. Oh yuck!" Danny held out a beach towel he had grabbed from the back seat and wrapped it around Joan.

"Go unlock the door and get yourself wiped down, then come back here for Charlie. I'll wait till you're back out here and then I'll go get her in the tub." Danny continued to talk, to the kids, to Steve and to himself, rocking a crying Joan the whole time, while Steve went in the house to wipe off the worst of the mess and then came back for Charlie.

After Danny had gotten everyone cleaned up and the kids put to bed, he sat down in the kitchen with a freshly showered Steve, who was still looking a little shell shocked.

"Yeah, those little ones hold a lot of barf, huh, big guy?"

"Yeah, Danny, not really pleasant. I wonder what…"

One of the baby monitors suddenly went off with the sound of retching.

"Dannoooooo." was the sad and tired wail that followed the sound. It wasn't Joan's baby monitor or voice. It was Charlie's.

"Oh, crap!" Danny said as he ran upstairs.

* * *

By Sunday morning Steve thought, 'oh, crap indeed,' and it was probably the first coherent thought he had in two days. The two men were kept running all night Thursday and all day and night Friday and Saturday. The first night, Danny had gone to the all night pharmacy, leaving Steve dealing with two feverish, sick, barfing little kids.

By the time Danny returned, Steve almost hugged him he was so relieved he was back. The kids each got a dose of children's Tylenol and then, they each got a lukewarm bath to bring the fever down. They were put in fresh pj's and put to bed. Rinse and repeat many times over the weekend. At one point late Friday night, Danny was even considering taking Joan to the hospital, while Steve was seriously freaking out over the possibility.

Steve wasn't sure how many loads of sheets, towels, and pajamas he had already run through the wash by Sunday afternoon, but there were still several loads waiting. Steve also wasn't sure how many times he had been barfed on, but that beat the other option, which happened to Danny while he was trying to get Joanie changed Saturday morning and again during Charlie's bath Saturday night.

Steve thought that Danny would have been a ranting, raving lunatic by now, but he was amazed at how soothing the man was with the children. He had always marveled at Danny's gentleness with Grace, and now he appreciated him even more when he saw the tenderness he treated the children with and how it comforted both Joan and Charlie, and frankly Steve himself.

At the moment, Charlie had finally fallen asleep in the middle of Steve's bed, which was the only one left that had clean sheets. Danny was sitting on the bed next to Charlie, pillows propped up against the headboard, cuddling a teary Joan in his arms, rocking her and humming what was apparently a Bon Jovi tune in her ear.

"Hey, Danny, Charlie's temp has gone down again, it's almost normal now." Steve put the ear thermometer on the night stand.

"That's good, babe. Joanie's forehead feels like it's a little less hot, too. Plus it's been a couple of hours since the last blast, if you will. Man, I am going to knock some wee heads together at Wee Care; why the hell didn't they tell us they had a flu epidemic when we picked the kids up?"

"I dunno, man, but I think it's going to be a long time before I'm going to Kamekona's."

Danny started snickering and Steve flopped on the other side of the bed, with Charlie between them.

"I never saw such a look of shock in my life, Steve, as you with those bug eyes on Thursday! I woulda thought a Navy Seal could handle anything."

"Yeah, well getting covered in puke isn't part of our training, Danno." Steve's voice was dripping in sarcasm.

"Maybe it should be," was Danny's response.

* * *

By the time Rachel and Grace returned on Monday night, medal in hand, both children had recovered from their flu. When Rachel arrived at Steve's house to pick up Charlie, she took one look at Danny and Steve then made Grace, Charlie and Joan stand by the front door, while she went up to Joan's room and packed a bag. Danny looked puzzled for a minute.

"Hey, why is Joan staying….."

Before he could finish the sentence, Steve bolted up from where he had been sitting in the recliner and ran to the bathroom. After a minute, the sound of retching reached the living room. Rachel had just returned from upstairs.

"Well, you're next Daniel. I'll drop off some aspirin, Tylenol, Theraflu and soup after I get the children back home where Leila can watch them. You know the drill, keep hydrated, lukewarm baths or showers, and it will just have to work through your system. Tell Steven I've got Joan covered for the next few days. 'Ta. Come along, children. You can call Danno and Uncle Steve later, but you can't kiss them good-bye. We don't want everyone re-infected."

With that Rachel and the children left and Steve and Danny had three more agonizing days off work. Steve never again felt as cocky and self-assured about raising children as he had at the beginning of "puke week" as he and Danny called it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Steve woke up at 5:30 am Sunday morning, as per his usual schedule. Thankful that "puke week" was behind them, he got out of bed and padded out into the hallway to peek in on Joan. She was still sound asleep in her crib. Thankful that she was such a sound sleeper, he hustled into the shower to get ready for the day. He was desperately hoping for a quiet, stay at home kind of day.

After his 2.5 minute shower, Steve wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried back to Joan's room. Relieved to see she was still asleep, he went back to his room and threw on a tee shirt and jogging shorts. He was hopeful that after Joan woke up, he could take a quick run with her in her stroller.

They had fallen into the weekend habit that on either Saturday or Sunday, whichever seemed like it would be the quieter day, they would take a quick run to Meili's Diner, which was about 2 miles from the house. Steve and Joan would have breakfast and then they would jog back to the house and get their day underway. Today looked like the perfect day, as there was absolutely nothing planned with anyone and 5-0 was thankfully quiet.

Steve went downstairs and made a cup of coffee, with his grass fed butter. He was just starting on his second cup, when the baby monitor announced that Joan was starting to wake up, so he zipped back upstairs.

Joanie was sitting up in her crib, blond hair mussed and wild around her head, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She broke into a huge grin when she saw Steve.

"Unca S'eve! Uppy! Uppy!" she called to him excitedly.

"Good morning Princess Joan! I hope you had a good sleep! Let's get your dipe changed and get some clothes on you for our morning outing."

He whisked Joan to the changing table and got her in a new diaper pretty quickly. He tickled her tummy and smiled at her baby laughter.

"Okay, sweetie. Let's get you in a running outfit okay?"

Steve selected the outfit Kono had given him recently. The little pink tee shirt said "Proud U.S. Navy Niece" in blue and there were little jogging pants that matched the blue lettering with a pink stripe up the side. Throw in the little pink Nike's and ruffly white socks and she was all set.

He got Joanie and her dolly strapped into the stroller. He had learned early on that dolly better travel with them everywhere or there would be hell to pay. A tired Joan and no dolly was not an experience Steve cared to repeat anytime soon.

"Ready to run, princess?" He asked in what was becoming a ritual for them.

"Weady Unca S'eve! We wunnin'! We goin to Meiwe's! I has pancakes!"

Steve grinned at the little girl and then moved to the handle at the back of the stroller. He reminded himself once again that he better ask Danny or maybe Rachel about Joanie's speech. He knew she wasn't two yet, but she wasn't pronouncing her R's and sometimes L's right. Should he be worried? Correct her? Get a speech therapist? He just wasn't sure what he should do, if anything.

He started jogging down the street. Mrs. Wong next door was already out picking up her paper.

"Morning Steve! Morning Joan!" she called, waving at them. Steve waved back and noted he could see Joan's hand waving too. He figured Mrs. Wong would probably stop by later with those oatmeal cookies Joanie loved. Steve was kind of fond of them too.

It was funny that before Joan, the Wong's, neighbors of his father for decades and now in their early 70's, would wave but rarely spoke to Steve. After Joan's arrival, he usually spoke to them at least once a week. After he mentioned how much Joan liked an oatmeal cookie Mrs. Wong had given her, she dropped off a batch every couple of weeks. She had also been able to step in and watch Joan a couple of times when Steve had to run out quickly for something.

Steve loved when he had a chance to get this run in. His regular fitness routine had been one of the first casualties of the changes wrought by Joan's arrival in his life. Kono's gift of the jogging stroller allowed him to still maintain a small portion of what he used to do.

They had arrived at Meili's and he waved to her when he saw her looking out the door. She smiled and waved back and he saw her head for the back of the diner to get the high chairs for Joan. He got Joan unbuckled, parked the stroller next to the stairs, and put dolly under one arm as he hoisted Joan in his arms to carry her inside.

"Good Morning Commander! Good Morning Miss Joan! You look so pretty today."

"Goo Monin Miss Meiwi!" Joan chirped back. "I has pancakes!"

"I already had cook start them honey. I know what you like. The usual for you Commander?"

"Yes, please Meili". Steve had given up the effort of trying to get her to call him by name. Her late husband had been military and she liked to address people by their rank, even if they had been out of the service for years.

Steve got Joanie into the high chair, and dolly into the high chair next to her. Originally Steve had tried to leave dolly in the stroller but that didn't fly. Then he tried to bring dolly in and lay her on a chair and that was unacceptable as well. Joan insisted dolly be given her own high chair. Period. End of sentence. Joan was normally a very sweet, easy-going child, but when she got something into her head, she could be quite stubborn about getting her way.

Steve's egg white omelet and Joan's pancakes arrived and they dug in with gusto. As they ate, Steve chatted with Joan.

"So, Joan, what should we do with the rest of the day? We'll head back to the house when we're done here, but what do you want to do? I could work on the car."

Joan shoveled some pancake in her mouth, but didn't respond.

"I could work on the yard."

"Flowie!" He had learned Joan enjoyed gardening. At least the part where you pulled the flowers out of the ground.

"Maybe we'll put your little sea shell swimsuit on…"

"Fwimmin'! Yay Unca S'eve! We go fwimmin'!"

"And Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!" Steve announced as he smiled indulgently at his niece. She just loved to be in the water. Steve would practically immerse her in baby SPF 100 before they went outside, and he always had a hat on her, because Joan, like Steve, could spend hours in the water. Danny had grumblingly resorted to putting an umbrella and umbrella stand down by the shoreline. He told Steve he didn't care how goofy it looked, if it saved Joan from sunstroke it was worth it.

They got back to the house and Steve got Joanie changed into her swimsuit and arm floaties and the two of them headed down to the beach. Steve was already teaching Joan some basic swim strokes and she was a fast learner and could propel herself through the water fairly well. Steve was right next to her at all times.

They built a sandcastle and Joan enjoyed dumping some of the buckets of sand all over Steve, giggling hysterically when he chased after her. When she started looking tired, he suggested they head inside for a nap. Joan usually took at least an hour to two hour nap in the afternoon.

While she was sleeping, he called Danny and Chin, just to check in and see if anything had come up. It seemed like it was at least going to stay a quiet Sunday, which Steve was grateful for. You had to take your breaks when you could. He also spent an hour in the garage working on the Marquis with the baby monitor next to him thankfully quiet.

He had just finished cleaning up, when Joan woke up. He got her changed once again, settled her in her high chair at the kitchen table with a coloring book and crayons, and then began figuring out what they would have for dinner. He settled on grilling chicken breasts for himself and Joan. She got little dishes of carrots and applesauce and he grilled a variety of veggies for himself. She chattered away with him and Dolly while they ate, and he caught most of what she was talking about.

Steve really felt that he adapted pretty well to being Joan's parent. There were still so many things he didn't know and worried about constantly, but at least he had Danny and Rachel to rely on for advice when he had questions.

However, Steve didn't totally depend on Danny for advice on the best things to do for Joan, he also did a lot of reading and research. One article that caught his attention discussed how important a routine was for a young child, particularly at bedtime. So Steve and Joan had their routine. A routine that surprised the once taciturn Navy man that he enjoyed as much as the little girl did, although he would be embarrassed if anyone ever witnessed it.

First he would give her a bubble bath and let her play with the plastic Navy boats he had gotten for tubby time. Then he let her pick out a pair of jammies, because another article said it was important to let a child make some decisions on their own.

After he got her changed for bed and had brushed out her hair, they would settle into the rocking chair in her room and read a book. Her favorite right now was "Good Night Moon." Then he would gather up a hopefully already sleeping, but always very drowsy little girl, and dance around the bedroom with her, singing her special good night song.

_Hushabye, hushabye, oh my darling, don't you cry,_

_Guardian Angels up above, take care of the one I love_

_Lullaby and good night, in your dreams I hold you tight_

_Lullaby and good night, till the dawn's early light_

_Pillows lying on your bed, oh my darling rest your head_

_Sandman will be coming soon, singing you a slumber tune._

_Hushabye, hushabye, oh my darling, don't you cry,_

_Guardian Angels up above, take care of that Joan I love._

When he finished, he would kiss her forehead and gently settle her in her crib for the night. He always finished with a quietly whispered "I love you Joan."

So they completed another lovely day together. Steve was hoping for many more just like this one.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter wasn't part of my original story, but I added it thanks to a lovely review I received yesterday from a "Guest" who also asked for some Steve/Joanie fluff. I hope this fulfilled that request.**

Song "Hushabye"

Made popular by The Mystics and The Beach Boys

Written By: Brill/Broadway songwriting team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman


	15. Chapter 15

"GO! Go, Gracie! Faster, Faster!" Danny hurried into the gym where the meet was being held. He could hear his partner's voice cheering Grace on over all the other noise in the room. Steve was standing next to Rachel in the stands, both of them shouting with all their might in encouragement to Grace in her first swim meet.

Danny couldn't believe that his meeting with the DA almost had him miss the event. He had finally told the guy that he would have to finish up his testimony prep at another meeting, because he had to leave right that minute.

Danny was also thankful that the two little ones were still at Wee Care Day Care because it was obvious that neither Rachel nor Steve would have been paying any attention to them, they were so focused on Grace. Danny parked himself in a corner by the stands to watch the last few lengths of Grace's freestyle competition. Pretty soon, he was screaming encouragement too. As the swimmers finished, he thought he would pass out from lack of breath, a sensation he seldom experienced, no matter how hard he ranted.

"Third, Monkey! You came in third! I am so proud of you! You did so great in your first meet!"

"Thanks, Danno!" Grace's face was beaming as she hugged Danny. Then, she let him go and ran over to Steve to throw her arms around his neck.

"Thanks Uncle Steve, thanks so much! I couldn't have done it without you!"

Steve looked happy and embarrassed all at the same time. Danny walked up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"That's right, Steven! You are making a fish out of my little monkey!"

At that moment, Rachel came up and wrapped her arms around a wet Grace and hugged her tight. "I am so proud of you Grace. You worked very hard and I am so happy that you were rewarded with a good placement in the meet. Why don't we invite your father and your Uncle Steve to come back to the house with Charles and Joan? I have a little celebratory dinner all prepared."

"Would you Danno? Would you Uncle Steve? It would be great to celebrate with everyone, wouldn't it?"

"Go, get dressed Monkey. Uncle Steve and I will go pick up Joan and Charlie from the Day Care and we'll meet you and your Mom at her house, okay? " Danny once again wrapped his arms around Grace to hug her, while looking over her head at Rachel and mouthing a quick 'thank you" to her. Rachel smiled in acknowledgement and then reached over and touched Steve's arm.

"Now, Steve, you and Joan will join us, right?"

"You couldn't keep me away, Rachel! I am so proud of how great our Gracie did! Plus, did I mention I missed lunch? I am starving!"

"You're always starving you big goof. I'm beginning to wonder if you have a tapeworm." Danny continued to chastise Steve as they both worked their way to the exits and their vehicles in order to go pick up the two "littles" as the whole team had taken to calling Joan and Charlie.

* * *

They had a wonderful celebration at Rachel's house. They also determined that Joan would stay overnight at Rachel's that night since Steve had a very early meeting with the Governor the next morning.

Rachel was upstairs tucking in the two "littles" while Grace finished her homework. All the children had already kissed and hugged 'Danno' and 'Uncle Steve' goodnight. The men were just waiting for Rachel to return so they could say their good byes before they headed home.

"Hey, Danno?" Steve said quietly.

"Yeah, babe? What's up?" replied Danny.

"Whatever happened with Amber? Damn, I mean Melissa? I haven't heard you talk about her for a long time. I mean, I know that we've been dealing with a lot over the last few months, Mary, Rachel moving back, getting the kids set up, the cases and everything, but I never hear you mention her. Is she still in the picture?"

Danny took a moment to compose himself and blew out a sad breath.

"Nah. She's not. Ya know, we kind of drifted apart after she became Melissa. It really bothered me that she wasn't honest with me. I mean, what if her crazy ex-husband had turned up while we were with Grace? I would have liked a heads up, ya know? Plus, I get that she first hit the guy accidentally, but don't ya think she could have avoided running over him while he was laying on the ground?"

Danny paused for a moment and Steve thought he was done with the topic, but then he continued,

"I couldn't stop wondering if she wasn't honest about that, is she hiding something else? The ten year age difference still bugs me too. The fact is, I liked her, but I didn't love her. I figured it was best to just call it quits before things got too complicated. She's young and beautiful. She's not going to have any problem finding someone else."

"Sorry, man. But, I guess it's for the best, huh?"

"Yeah, I think it is. What about you Steven? Any chance of Catherine coming back? Or how about something starting up with that pretty DA?"

"Ellie? Nope. She's just a friend. I really enjoy spending time with her, but no spark. As far as Cath, I don't think she's ever coming back. Even if she came back to Hawaii, she's never coming back to me. We were friends before we were…..more. We'll always be friends. I just don't wanna go back there, ya know? I opened up to her, let my guard down, and thought we had something. Then suddenly she's staying in Afghanistan and I should move on? Yeah, I think maybe romance isn't for me."

"Probably not for me, either buddy."

They sat in a companionable silence for a few moments. Then they heard a soft voice.

"And probably not for me, either. "

They turned to see that Rachel had entered the room, with a pensive look on her face.

"Is this just a boy's game or may anyone play?"

"Please!" Danny gestured expansively to his ex. "You have the floor."

Rachel laughed as she sat down. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but since I heard both your stories, I suppose it's only fair to share mine. Stanley has made it plain that he is not interested in a continuing relationship with me, but he would like to stay married to me for business purposes." Rachel's distaste was obvious.

"In order to convince me to do so, he has provided a monthly sum for living expenses for Charles and myself, will continue to pay for Grace and Charles' schooling, as well as putting some assets solely in my name. It is important to me that Grace is able to continue at Sacred Heart Academy and for Charles to attend there as well when the time comes. My agreement guarantees that will happen. Also, I guess at this stage of my life, I am not interested in being out in the world looking for my third failed relationship, so frankly this arrangement will work for me."

"What does not work so well for me is that he has absolutely zero interest in Charles. He says that because he was not there at his birth, he does not feel a 'connection' with him." Rachel almost spat the words out. "Basically, he has no interest in anything to do with my son. He has requested that I maintain a suite for him here in the house, which I will do, and when it is 'necessary' he will visit us. Frankly, I don't expect to see him more than once a year, if that."

There was a long silence in the room. If Rachel felt awkward about sharing these exceedingly personal details of her current marriage with her ex-husband, it wasn't apparent.

"Wow! We are really a bunch of relationship fuck-ups, aren't we?" Danny quietly said.

"Daniel!" Rachel laughed out, "Grace will hear."

"Sorry, Rach, but seriously? I thought my life was a mess, but listening to the two of you…."

At that, Rachel threw a pillow from the sofa directly at Danny's head.

"Well, at least we raise great kids." Steve said quietly.

**A/N: Thank you for all the great reviews! They really help encourage a person to keep posting. I think I'm up to 23 chapters now! Can't wait to post tomorrow's chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Have a second chapter today in honor of my supportive friend Wenwalke. Ask and ye shall receive.**

* * *

Leila hung up the phone and hurried down the hall to Rachel's office. Rachel was on a call, but as she looked up and took one look at Leila's face, she instantly told the person on the other end that she would have to call them back later, and hung up without waiting for a response.

"Leila! What in the world is the matter? You're white as a ghost."

"Oh, Rachel! Kono just called on the house phone. She said to tell you that they have taken Commander McGarrett and Detective Williams to the hospital. She said to call either her cell or Chin's so that you can get more details. I think she said they took them to Tripler."

Rachel immediately grabbed her office phone and after looking up Kono's number, began dialing. She was speaking just as soon as Kono's phone activated.

"Oh my God! Kono, are they all right? Please tell me they're all right?"

"Rachel, calm down" Kono wearily responded. "They were in an explosion at a warehouse we were investigating. We don't know how bad it is yet, but at least they were a bit of a distance away from the center of the blast. They took them to Tripler. Chin and I will meet you there."

After they both hung up, Rachel began pulling things together, grabbing her purse and directing instructions at Leila.

"Leila, can you stay late today? " At the girl's vigorous nod, she continued. "I will call Lucy's mother and ask her to take Grace to her house after school. Can you pick up Charles and Joan?" Another nod. "Fine, then you can just put them down for naps as though there were nothing unusual. Please do not say anything to alarm them. I will call you as soon as I know something."

"Go, Rachel! Don't worry about a thing! I can stay overnight if you need me. Call and let me know that they're okay! Be careful driving!" Leila responded.

With that, Rachel grabbed her purse and ran to her car. She sat there for a moment, trembling slightly, before she put the car in gear and began her drive to the hospital.

* * *

Kono met her at the ER entrance. Rachel had always liked the young officer, ever since they had spent so much time together when Grace had been kidnapped by Rick Peterson. Kono reached out and hugged Rachel. Then she took her by the hand and began walking with her into the ER waiting room.

"We just have to sit here until the doctors are done with them. Someone will come out to give us a status report. So you know, Chin got to them first. They had already left the building when the explosion happened and it was at the opposite end from where they were, so they really just caught some backlash and debris. Chin said that from what he could tell, it looked as though Steve had thrown himself on top of Danny when the explosion occurred. Danny was still unconscious when they were loading them into the ambulance, but Steve was responding to the paramedics."

"Why is he unconscious? Were there other injuries? How badly hurt is the Commander?"

"I don't know Rachel, we're just going to have to wait."

About a half hour later, a doctor came into the waiting room, calling "Anyone here for Daniel Williams?"

Kono and Rachel both stood, and the doctor headed over to them.

"Well, ladies, Detective Williams is going to be fine. He has a mid-range concussion, rang his bell pretty thoroughly, it appears. He also came into pretty hard contact with the ground, so he is going to be bruised and sore for the next week or so, but nothing's broken. Because of the concussion, I am going to keep him overnight for observation, so he should be settled in his room within the hour, and you can see him then."

"Thanks so much" Rachel's relief was palpable. "Do you have any information on Commander McGarrett?"

"Well, he was another doctor's patient, so I don't know. Someone will be out to update you on him very shortly."

With that, the doctor turned and headed back to the treatment rooms.

Rachel looked at Kono. "It never gets better, does it? I should have just stayed married to the man. I never get over how I feel when he's hurt."

Kono looked at Rachel with surprise written all over her face.

"Danny's lucky he has you in his corner, Rachel. That's important."

It was all she could think of to say. Danny and Rachel's relationship always struck Kono as unusual. But then, who was she to judge? She had Adam, her own unusual relationship.

Chin joined them, and they filled him in on Danny's condition. Chin let out a big sigh, relieved to know at least one of his friends was going to be all right.

* * *

"Family of Steve McGarrett" rang out into the room, and Chin and Kono stood up and headed over to the doctor. Kono stopped when she realized Rachel hadn't followed. When she saw that Rachel was still sitting in her chair, she went and took her hand.

"Come on Rachel. You're Ohana now and we have to stick together."

"So, how is he doc?" Chin was saying as they walked up.

"The Commander is a very lucky man. He has some blast burns on his back that are going to be very painful for a while, but luckily his tac vest protected him and absorbed most of the impact. He has a slight concussion and he also broke his left arm which they are casting now. I don't really need to keep him overnight, and he is chafing to go, but I will only discharge him if there is someone with him at home."

Rachel had listened to their conversation, so she knew that both Chin and Kono had to return to the HQ to finish processing the case. She clearly recalled many of Danny's rants while they were married about how the paperwork could never wait if the police wanted a case to stick.

"He can stay with me." She stated quietly. When two shocked faces looked back at her, she continued. "Well, it's just easier. Joan is already there after all, and I have plenty of guest rooms. Danny will have to come and stay when he is discharged as well. Neither of them will be able to go to their own homes for a little while, so it's the best solution. Don't you think so?"

Chin regarded her impassively for a moment. Then he reached over, hugged her, and said:

"Rachel, you're a saint."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: This chapter is a last minute addition brought on by tvj12 commenting that they wondered about how Joan would react to Steve being hurt and I realized I didn't have anything like that, although the chapter veered off in its own direction. I hope it doesn't seem too rushed, since it was written last minute.**

* * *

While they were waiting for McGarrett to be discharged, Rachel, Kono and Chin all went to check on Danny since he had been moved to his room. He looked terrible, he had some bad cuts and scrapes on his face and seemed to be having a hard time focusing on them. They were relieved to find he was at least tracking what they were telling him because he finally looked over at Rachel.

"Listen, babe, I feel like crap. If you're going to be McGarrett wrangling tonight, you better get back to the ER and get him before he escapes. I'm fine here. The nurses are going to have to wake me every hour for a concussion check and these chairs are not comfortable. Get out of here and get that big lug home and put him to bed. Oh! Chin, you be sure to tell him he's not allowed to visit me tonight. I'll see him tomorrow after I'm discharged. Rach, seriously, thanks so much for doing this."

She reached over and touched Danny's hand.

"You're welcome, Danny. I will pick you up when they discharge you, just call and let me know what time."

With that, she and Kono left the room, with Kono waving goodbye to Danny.

Chin looked after them and then looked at Danny.

"I think you let a good one get away, Danny."

"Tell me something I don't know, Chin. But I didn't let her get away, man, she ran away. I dunno maybe we make better friends then we do lovers."

"Okay, brah, this is a conversation that needs to be held off until we have at least a six pack in front of us. Don't worry about McGarrett. I'll make sure he stays put. Take care."

Left alone, Danny pulled the blankets around him and got comfortable hoping to get at least an hour of sleep before they woke him for his first check.

* * *

McGarrett was standing in the ER waiting room when they got off the elevator. His left arm was in a cast and a sling. He had a lot of abrasions on the right side of his face. Other than that he looked fine, but he was standing quite stiff, and annoyance was written all over his face.

"I wondered where everyone got off to. Is Danny all right? Who's taking me back to HQ?"

"Yeah, about that Steve. Rachel, why don't you go pull your car up front? Kono can walk with you."

Rachel nodded distractedly and she and Kono headed for the exit, at which point Chin whirled on Steve.

"All right, Steve, for once you are going to do what you are told."

"What are you talking about Chin?"

"You are not going to HQ. You are not going to your home. You are going to Rachel's. You were released as long as someone stays with you. You know damn well that Kono, Lou and I have to get to HQ to try and get the rundown on the Karaba's. Rachel has offered to have you stay at her place and you are going to do it. You are going to smile, nod, and accept her offer and you're not going to give her a hard time."

"Hey, man, I'm not three. I'll do what I want."

Chin closed his eyes for a minute and took a couple of deep breaths. Then he opened them and pinned Steve with his glare.

"Don't press me on this, Steve. I'm really not in the mood. You pushed and pushed that we had to go in that warehouse and you wouldn't listen to anyone else's advice. Now Danny is in a hospital bed and you're all banged up. We're lucky it wasn't worse, but we've definitely broadcast our interest to the Karaba's. Danny, Lou and I all told you not to follow this route and now you see what comes from stubbornly disregarding everyone else's advice. So, for once, you are going to listen to someone else, suck it up and stay at Rachel's until the doctor releases you to be home. Got it?"

Steve stared wide eyed at the normally placid and impassive, but now very angry Chin and realized that he may have pushed his friends and teammates a little too far in his zeal to put the Karaba drug ring behind bars. He finally acquiesced and nodded at Chin.

Chin blew out a breath, reached a hand out and put it on Steve's shoulder.

"Thanks, brah. Look, you're going to feel like even worse crap tomorrow then you do today. Danny will be released tomorrow, but the doctor won't release him to be home alone either. If you insist on getting back to work, Danny will push too hard to be back too and it will be before he's ready. Poor Rachel has agreed to take care of both of you. From what the doctor said, it's going to be for a couple of weeks. Take the time and recover, both of you. We'll keep you informed on the case. Just remember everything that Rachel has done for Joan when you're tempted to behave like an idiot."

"Chin!" Steve was deeply offended. Chin just grinned at him.

"Come on, Steve, Rachel just pulled up. Let's get you in the car so that Kono and I can get to work."

* * *

Leila, Grace (who had been dropped off by Lucy's mom) and the littles were watching TV in the den when Rachel and Steve got back. Joan heard Steve's voice and went running down the hall, followed by Charlie and Grace, but she stopped at the sight of his banged up face.

"Boo boo Unca S'eve! Boo boo!"

"Yeah, princess, Uncle Steve has a bad boo boo. But it's okay, it doesn't hurt."

Charlie and Grace were looking at him with huge eyes.

"Is Danno okay, Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, Gracie, he's gonna be fine. They had to keep him overnight, but he'll be released tomorrow. He's got a pretty bad concussion, so he might be dizzy for a few days, but otherwise he's okay."

Grace smiled at Steve with relief.

"I'm glad you're both okay, Uncle Steve."

While they were talking, Rachel kept a careful eye on him, and then called over to Leila.

"Can you make sure the blue guest room is all made up with clean sheets and put clean towels in the bathroom?"

Leila nodded and hurried off.

"Steve, I have jack and jill guest rooms here on the main floor. You will have the blue one and Danny can have the green room, they have a shared bath. The master and the children's rooms are all upstairs. It is the children's bedtimes and I think it is best if they get settled and then you can get to bed too. The doctor said that you had best take a pain pill tonight so you can sleep. I think it might be too much for you to go upstairs to tuck in the children."

"No, actually Rachel, I would like to tuck everyone in. I really am fine."

So, they all trooped upstairs. They stopped at Grace's room first. It was a big room with its own bath, painted bright pink and had a white wood canopy bed, dresser, and desk. The curtains and bedspread were a kaleidoscope of pinks. It was a lovely suite for a teenage girl. Rachel told Grace she could stay up reading for another hour, but then it was lights out. Grace reached out and carefully hugged Steve good night.

They then headed down the hall to Charlie's room. There was a big blue "C" hanging on the door and inside was a smaller room than Grace's that held a twin bed, dresser, desk and toy box. It was decorated with a cowboy theme with the curtains, bedspread, and rug all matching. The walls were painted a soft blue. Charlie hugged Rachel and then shyly hugged Steve, and Rachel tucked him in while Steve and Joan waited in the hall.

"All right, Commander. Next let's tuck in Joan. I just realized that even though she has stayed here quite a bit, I don't think she ever showed you her room."

At that, Joan grabbed Steve's hand and tugged him down the hall. The door of the room next to Charlie's had a big lilac "J" hanging on the outside of the door. Joan pulled Steve into the room, and as he took in the furnishings, he was surprised. The room was just slightly smaller than Charlie's and Rachel had obviously decorated the room just for Joan. The crib, dresser, changing table and toy box were all white wood and Rachel had gone with a Disney princesses theme, with matching curtains, blankets and rug. The walls of the room were painted a soft lilac.

"Rachel, this is beautiful. It's just what a little girl's room should look like. I didn't realize you had a room set up just for her. I thought she was just sleeping in one of your extra room's when she stayed. Thank you so much for doing this."

"You're welcome, Steve." Rachel looked pleased at Steve's words. "Now, then, Miss Joan. Let's get you tucked in, all right?"

"Unca S'eve do, Auntie Wach, pwease?"

"Oh, all right, you little imp. Come and give Auntie Rach a kiss, and Uncle Steve can tuck you in. But then, right to sleep, because Uncle Steve has to go night night too, okay?"

"Okay, Auntie Wach! You sing me, Unca S'eve?"

"Yes, princess. I'll sing to you."


	18. Chapter 18

After the first week passed, Rachel was rapidly reconsidering her candidacy for sainthood. Steve McGarrett had been a most difficult patient the whole time he was at her home. He wasn't difficult in that he complained. It was that he didn't complain about anything and was constantly trying to escape and return to his own home. Rachel was beginning to consider locking him in his room. Puzzlingly, his escape attempts would dwindle after a visit from Chin.

Danny on the other hand was difficult in a whole different way, and that was because she was so worried about him. He moved like a one hundred year old man. He had most certainly damaged his ACL again, and his concussion had made him so dizzy for the first few days that he could barely lift his head off the pillow. Thankfully, after the first week, he seemed much better.

She still had three children to bathe, feed, and get out the door to school. She also had a business and a household to run. She was so thankful for Leila, because she knew she would never have gotten through any of this without her. That was exactly what she told the girl at the end of the first week the men were there, when she also told her she would be receiving a well-deserved raise.

Grace would come home from school every day and after checking in with Rachel and her Uncle Steve, would head for her dad's guestroom to check on him. She usually stayed in there most of the afternoon, doing her homework and keeping her dad company.

Steve was more mobile than Danny, even with the burns on his back. He just had to be careful that they didn't touch onto the back of anything, like a chair or sofa. He told Rachel that it was like having a bad sunburn, but she didn't exactly believe him. Steve was very embarrassed that Rachel had to put the prescribed antiobiotic cream on his burns, but she told him to "man up Commander!" and they got through it.

The two littles had taken to following Steve around the house like a couple of puppies. Charlie in particular was enamored with Steve and soaked up any attention given to him like a sponge. They had adorned the cast on his arm with all sorts of drawings and stickers, but Uncle Steve drew the line at glitter. Joanie pouted for an hour at his refusal, but when she realized he wouldn't be swayed, she was back to her easy going nature.

At the moment, Steve was sitting at her kitchen table with Joan on one side of him and Charles on the other, each of the children in a booster seat. There was a coloring book in front of each place and crayons scattered across the table.

"I think that you should be letting me use the blue one. I need to color the sky." Steve said to the little boy.

"No Unca Steve. I using blue one. Pick 'nother color."

"Wed, Unca S'eve! I wike wed." chirped Joan.

"Come on now, sweetie. Rrrrrr ed. Say it after me. Rrrrrrrrr ed."

Steve thought it best to work on trying to improve Joanie's pronunciation. Rachel and Danny both kept reassuring Steve there was nothing to worry about. She wasn't even two yet and pretty advanced for her age. Steve still worried and had started googling children's speech therapists.

They all looked up as they heard Danny making his way slowly into the kitchen. The dizziness had resolved itself over the last week, but the cane had definitely made a re-appearance.

"Hey guys, Grace back from her friend's house yet?"

"No, Daniel. I'll be picking her up in about an hour. Sit down before you fall down. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Just a glass of water. Thanks, babe. Hey! What'r you guys coloring? Why don't I have a book?"

Rachel hid her smile behind her hand as she got Danny's water. She would love to have this recorded on her phone, but she knew Danny, and certainly Steve would object to evidence existing that they weren't always scary crime fighters.

"Auntie Wach? Can I have jooce?"

Rachel got a sippy cup of apple juice for Joan as she listened to Steve correct the little girl again.

"Rrrrrrr a chel. Say it Joanie Rrrrrrrr a chel."

Joan sighed and did as he asked.

"Wwwww a chel."

"Good try, Kitten! Steve, didn't we talk about this?" Danny asked.

"I know, Danny. 'Give her time' you say. I just want her to get it right."

"She's fine, babe. Let her be. You'll give her a complex."

They all continued coloring, and it seemed that Steve and Danny always wanted the same color crayon at the same time, if you went by their constant bickering. At one point Rachel heard Charlie telling them "sharing means caring," which is something she often told the littles when they were arguing over a toy.

"Okay, fellows, it's time for me to go get Grace. Now, Leila has already left for the day, so I'll take the littles with me."

"What, are you kidding me? You don't trust us to watch these two little munchkins?"

"Danny, you know perfectly well it's not that I don't trust you, but you are well aware what a handful one little child can be, this is two, and you and the Commander are still not 100%."

"Rachel, I think we are perfectly able to safely watch two little kids for the forty-five minutes you are going to be gone. After all, we're just coloring not running an obstacle course." Steve sounded affronted.

"Very well, gentlemen, that's fine. Grace and I will be back shortly and then we'll have dinner. Leila started a pot roast in the slow cooker this morning and it will be ready when we get back."

"Sounds great. See ya soon, babe."

* * *

Rachel pulled up the circular drive in front of the house and parked right behind the ambulance.

"Oh, bollocks. What could have happened?"

She and Grace ran into the house. Charlie was sitting at the table and looked completely freaked out. Danny was alternating between rubbing Charlie's back and patting Steve on the knee. Steve had a sobbing Joan on his lap. His eyes were a little wild and the paramedics were packing up.

"Okay, Commander. We'll strap you both onto the gurney, so you can hold her while we transport you to Queens. I'm sorry, but it's just jammed up there too far, and we can't get it out. Now, it's fine. Everything's okay. They deal with this sort of thing all the time at the hospital. She's going to be fine."

"What the … what happened?" Rachel blurted.

"Everything's fine ma'am." The older paramedic said. "The little girl managed to shove a crayon up her nose and a piece of it broke off up there. But, it's too far and we can't get it out. The doctor's going to have to put her under and remove it."

Joan looked at Rachel with her little tear streaked face.

"It da wed one!" She wailed.

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrr ed." Charlie quietly corrected.

* * *

At the end of the second week, everyone was happy to be heading to their own homes. Joan had recovered well from her little surgery. They got the coloring books and crayons out a few more times, with Joan chirping "no nose" to herself each time they were coloring. While the others laughed, Steve was not amused.

Rachel did refuse to let Danny leave until he had proven to her that he had scheduled his PT for his knee. She hated having to put her foot down like that, but she knew him better than anyone (except possibly Steve at this point), and it was likely he wouldn't follow through if he weren't forced. Once they were scheduled, he would keep his appointments because he was well aware that Grace would rat him out if he didn't. Apparently the "no snitches rule" only applied to classmates.

After they had returned to their homes, and it was just Rachel and Charles again, she reflected on the comment she had made to Kono. She hadn't realized it when she had divorced Danny, but since she had Grace, she would always be connected to what happened to him.

She was never going to get away from it, so she figured she ought to figure out a better way to cope. She wished she had done it while they had still been married, but that horse had already left the barn, as her mother would say.

She drew the phone closer to her, picked up the business card she had received from Lucy's mom, and dialed the number.

"Hello, is this Dr. Goldstein's office? I would like to schedule a therapy appointment, please."

**A/N: My nephew actually did this with an apple slice when he was a baby! Loving all the reviews I receive. I value your input!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: What else can go wrong?**

* * *

Danny ran his hands through his hair and picked up another bill from the stack on his desk. He could not believe how fast they piled up!

He had purchased his house at foreclosure several years before. It was a terrific home in a great neighborhood. He had actually been able to put down a substantial down payment when he had purchased, thanks to an inheritance from his grandmother. Between his down payment and the constantly surging real estate market in Honolulu, he actually had quite a bit of equity built up.

But equity didn't help with bills. His parents had drilled into him that you did not use your home like a piggy bank, so Danny never fell into the trap of borrowing more than his house was worth. He had kept aside what he thought was a good amount of money from the inheritance, and put the rest down on the house, but over the past few years, various expenses had whittled away his stockpile until there was nothing left.

Early last year, Danny's sister, his nephew Eric's mother, had hit him up for a loan. She was desperate and in danger of losing her own house. He knew there was no chance she would ever be able to repay him. He gave her the money anyway, because that was how Danny was with his family. Even before losing Matthew so tragically, there wasn't anything Danny would not do for one of his siblings.

Now, though, between that loan as well as his central air, washer, dryer, and refrigerator all going out on him at one time, Danny was feeling the press of bills. He also had medical expenses from the warehouse explosion. While it was an on-the-job injury, he still had a deductible and a co-pay for the physical therapy. The most recent expenditure to come up was Cheer Camp. Grace desperately wanted to go.

Rachel and Danny had agreed a long time ago that since she and Stan paid for school, Danny should handle the extra-curricular expenses. Danny knew that Rachel would cover it if he asked her, but he had no intention of asking her. He knew that her new circumstances with Stan did not leave her as flush as she used to be. He could provide for Grace!

He finally heaved a deep sigh, shoved all the bills into a pile on his desk and decided he would just go to bed and deal with them the next day.

* * *

Steve McGarrett was helping his niece Joanie finish getting dressed before Rachel picked her up for Day Care. He was hoping there was a chance that he would have enough time to get in a quick swim after the little girl left, but it wasn't looking promising, as she was taking her time deciding on an outfit.

Steve stood there holding out two little sundresses on their hangers.

"Okay, princess, what do you think, the green one or the yellow one?"

Joan stood there in her pull-up and examined the two choices critically, and then shook her head in the negative.

"I wanna pink one, Unca S'eve." She smiled winningly at him.

Steve smiled back, turned away, sighed, and went to select several pink outfits from her closet for her to choose from. Even when they were running late, the little girl's smile never failed to cheer him.

Steve groaned out loud as his phone began ringing. He answered it quickly, to be informed that the Governor needed to see him promptly in one hour. 'Well, there goes any chance of a work-out this morning.' Steve thought to himself as he hung up.

Since Mary's death, Steve had adapted to being the primary caretaker of little Joan. During his life, Steve had met and conquered every curve life threw his way, but he never thought being the guardian of a little girl would end up being one of his most challenging.

He loved Joan and he loved having her, although he regretted the loss of his sister deeply. With Rachel helping with her day care needs, things went pretty well on a day to day basis. The problem Steve had was finding even one hour for himself in order to get in a swim, or a run, or any kind of work-out in the morning. He couldn't leave Joan alone in the house while he went to do any of that, but by the time Rachel picked her up in the morning, he usually had to hurry to get to 5-0 on time.

He felt like it was a good thing that all he ever allowed himself was a three minute shower, because there was no doubt that with the way his life was now, there wouldn't be time for anything more. He heard Rachel's car pulling up, so he hurried to grab Joan and the bag he had packed for her the night before. He always tried to get to Rachel's car before she needed to get out.

They exchanged greetings as he buckled Joanie into her car seat. Steve reached into the back seat and ruffled Charlie's hair.

"Hey, buddy! Good to see you today. Have a good day at day care and keep an eye on Joanie for me, okay?"

"Okay Unca Steve! I make sure Joanie be good girl!"

Steve smiled at Rachel. Charlie was such a happy kid, and he was always so sweet to Joan. They had the usual toddler squabbles, but they always settled them pretty quickly, and he had become very protective of Joan.

They were all surprised to find out exactly how protective when the teachers at Wee Care Day Care had informed Rachel and Steve about an incident with one of the other children. An older boy, about 5 years old, had recently been enrolled and apparently thought he could pick on a seemingly defenseless Joan. He had developed a habit when the teachers weren't looking of pinching and pushing her. Charlie quickly corrected the problem when he punched the bully right in the nose.

The teachers realized that Charlie's action had been provoked when they had reviewed their tapes of the facility at the end of the day. They had called all the parents in for a "discussion," which ended with the little boy's parents withdrawing him from the day care. Rachel had given Charlie a punishment of no TV for a week, but Steve was secretly very proud of the little boy, and not so secretly let him know it.

* * *

Steve was in his office in 5-0 when Chin knocked on the door.

"Got a minute, brah?"

"Sure do, Chin, what's up?"

"I don't want to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but everything okay with Danny?"

"As far as I know it is. And you know Danny; he would make sure that I knew if it wasn't. Why? Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, I get your point, Steve. Well, I can't tell you there's a problem, but he isn't the same Danny Williams lately. I know that the last year has been a big change what with Matt's death and then him getting used to Rachel being back and you getting used to having Joan, but the last month or so, since that warehouse explosion, he's really been different."

"Different? Different, how?"

"Haven't you noticed? He doesn't go out to lunch with us anymore. He always brings something from home. I couldn't tell you the last time he's come to an after-work gathering. I've asked him to go to a couple different things the last few weeks, and the only one he would do was the car show. I can't tell that anything's really wrong, but Danny has always been a real social animal, and this isn't him."

Steve had been so wrapped up in his own life, he hadn't noticed. In fact, he didn't know the last time he had been to an after-work gathering. Now, Steve sat for a few minutes thinking about what Chin had said. Chin could almost see his deductive gears turning, so he waited expectantly for some response.

"Chin – was there a charge to get in the car show?"

"Nah, brah, the Chamber was hosting it, so we got in ….oh. You think Danny's got money troubles?"

"I dunno. But, we're going to find out. I'd be worried about someone on the task force with any kind of money problems. It makes it too easy to become prey to undesirables. Let's see if it's an issue. Pull his financials."

"Steve, don't you think you should just talk to him first?"

"Chin! Pull his financials!"

"Okay, man. You're the boss."


	20. Chapter 20

"See ya, Monkey! Have fun at Cheer Camp! Don't forget to give old Danno a call when you get there, right?"

"Okay, Danno! I'll see you next week! Thanks so much for sending me! It's going to be great!" Grace was beyond excited as she boarded the bus with her girlfriends. The sight made Danny smile in spite of all his cares.

Danny stood waving at the bus until it was out of sight. It had taken the last dime of his savings, as well as brown bagging to work every day, but he had been able to scrape together the required funds to send Grace to camp. Now, he just had to figure out how he would pay for everything else.

He had been able to go to Home Depot and buy his appliances on the interest free for a year program. But, now he had another big monthly payment he would have to allot for. He was pricing out the central air units, but that was probably going to have to go on a credit card, and that would be another big monthly payment. Then there were still his medical bills.

'Well', Danny thought to himself, 'at least I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches'.

He got in the Camaro. He had told Steve that he was going to go straight home after he dropped off Grace, but he realized he had left a file on his desk which contained information he wanted to review before he met with the DA on the Krazinsky case in the morning. Oh, well, back to 5-0 it was.

* * *

"So, here's the problem Steve. Danny just doesn't have a lot of cash. He's basically house rich and cash poor. It looks like he made a check out to his sister last year for $25,000.00 and from what he has said, I'm pretty sure that neither of his sisters have the kind of money to pay him back. Plus, if you have been listening to him lately, with his appliance problems and the central air going out, he must have a lot of bills. His credit card balances are all pretty high. He's hitting the minimums, plus a little more, but he really is in a bind. He's just one or two bad situations from…."

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

Steve and Chin whirled away from the Smart Table to see Danny standing in the doorway. It was obvious that the blond had been there for a few minute and he was furious. Steve made an abortive move to clear the screens, but Chin didn't bother. He knew Danny had already seen everything.

"Steven. Care to explain?"

"Danny. Look, don't get pissed. We just noticed that you had changed some habits lately, and…"

"And what? You figured that you would pry into my personal life as though I were some sort of common criminal? What's next, a little one on one in the interrogation room? I suppose I should expect it from you, you Neanderthal, but Chin, I never would have thought you were capable of this."

"Danny, wait a minute." Steve was fumbling for what to say.

"No, YOU wait a minute. You know what? Never the hell mind. I don't need this. I'm going home. I'm going to take a couple personal days. I'll let you know if I'll be back."

With that, he spun on his heel and marched out the door, back stiff and angry.

"Well that went well." Chin commented drily.

"Did he say 'if'?" Steve turned to Chin.

"Yeah. You need to talk to him Steve. I told you we should have just asked him in the first place. I know you think this was the right thing to do, but it was invasive, and Danny doesn't deserve that. Frankly, none of us do."

With that, Chin also headed out the door, leaving Steve alone with his thoughts of how badly he had fucked this up.

* * *

Danny wasn't in the next day. The DA called and was hopping mad because Danny had not kept his appointment for the Krazinsky case review. Steve grabbed the file off Danny's desk and hustled over to the man's office before he could blow a gasket. Steve surreptitiously began calling Danny's cell phone every few hours hoping that he would pick up. No such luck.

Danny wasn't in the following day either. Steve stepped up the frequency of his calls and the phone went right to voicemail. Every time. He finally broke down and resorted to having Chin, Kono and Lou try as well and they got the same result. He went to Danny's house, but the Camaro wasn't there and neither was Danny.

With his money problems, it was unlikely that Danny would be staying at a hotel. He wasn't staying with any of the task force members. Steve checked with Duke, Pua, Kamekona, Max and Jerry. No luck. No one had seen Danny.

At the end of the second day after Danny had abruptly left the office, Steve angrily confronted Chin.

"Look, man, this isn't funny. If you know where Danny is, you have to tell me. He can't just take off like this and not check in."

Chin looked like he was gathering all his patience and tact before he spoke, which was exactly what he was doing. On the task force he often felt like he was the calm island in the midst of increasingly violent storms.

"Steve. Brah. Look, I do not know where Danny is. I haven't spoken to him since he's left and neither has Kono. In fact, I asked Kono to keep trying him because I feel terrible about what happened and Danny is more likely to respond to her. We're getting nowhere and nothing. I should have tried harder to keep you from pulling his financials, but you are like a heat seeking missile when you are fixed on a target."

Steve marginally deflated.

"I know, Chin. I'm not sure why I pushed to have his financials pulled. When it clicked with me that he might be having money troubles, all I could think was, what if someone got hold of him? What if he were compromised? What would I do…."

Steve didn't finish the sentence. His eyes widened as he suddenly realized exactly why he had reacted, actually over-reacted, the way he had. He was never the most introspective person and the realization of what he had done was making him sick.

"You know what, Chin. Never mind. I'm going to go pick up Joan from Day Care and head for home. Would you give Rachel a call for me and let her know?"

"Sure Steve." Chin sadly watched his friend walk out of the office, while wishing that they could get rid of all the baggage they had collectively accumulated over the years.

* * *

Steve had a sleepless night and upon deep reflection knew that he owed Danny a huge apology. But, how could he do that if he couldn't find him? What if Danny didn't come back to 5-0? Steve was sick at the prospect that he may have driven his best friend away.

In the morning, as Steve was running out the door to hand Joanie over to Rachel he started to wonder. Would Danny? Maybe? He hadn't tried her because he knew Grace was out of town. Only one way to find out.

"Hey, Rachel, got a minute?"

"Sure, Steve, what's up?"

"Have you seen Danny in the last couple days?"

He saw how she pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. The lie is next, he thought to himself. But, before Rachel could respond, Charlie crowed from the back seat,

"Yeah, Unca Steve, me n Danno played soldiers last night! I won coz I da bestest soldier!"

"I'll bet you are little buddy. Hey, Rachel, can you step out of the car for a minute?"

"Am I under arrest Steve?" Rachel was obviously trying to lighten the mood, as she opened the car door, but Steve was way too upset for that.

"You know better than that! Is Danny staying with you? Did he tell you why?"

"Yes, he is staying at my house. No, he didn't tell me why. He said that he needed a few days to sort some things out. He's very upset, Steve. He said that he was having a problem at work, but he wouldn't say what it was. He did ask me not to tell anyone he was there. Frankly, he hasn't been very talkative, and since you know Daniel as well as you do, you know that's a big problem. What's going on Steve, is it a case?"

"No Rachel. It's something between me and Danny. I did something to him that I have to apologize for, and you know hard he can make that."

"Do I ever! If you're in the wrong and are looking for Danny's forgiveness, I really don't envy you!"

The two friends smiled at each other, with a soft tolerance for Danny's many idiosyncrasies. Rachel took pity on the worried man in front of her.

"Listen, why don't you come over to the house in about an hour? I'll be back by then, and you and Danny can sort out whatever your issue is. Please try not to come to blows, if you don't mind. I like my home the way it is."

At Steve's nod, Rachel got back into her car and drove off.

* * *

After Steve had gotten showered and dressed, he headed for Rachel's house. During the drive he thought again about how he had made a mistake in handling this situation with Danny. Chin was right. He should have spoken to Danny first. Danny had earned that. Steve wasn't quite sure how he would make it up to Danny, but he would do everything he could. Then maybe they could address Danny's actual money problem.

He stopped a little down the street while he waited for Rachel to return home. Her latest home was in Danny's neighborhood, but it was one of the larger homes in the neighborhood. It wasn't as large as either the Kahala mansion or her last house, the one she had occupied while Danny had been in prison in Colombia.

Steve was very familiar with the layout after staying in it for two weeks while he and Danny were both recovering from a warehouse explosion. The guest rooms that he and Danny had stayed in were in a separate section of the house from the family living area, so he knew that was where he would find his partner.

Rachel pulled into the driveway on one side and Steve pulled in on the other, effectively blocking the Camaro in its place. Even if Danny got out of the house, he wouldn't be going anywhere in his car. Steve and Rachel both exited their vehicles and headed into the house. Steve put a hand on Rachel's arm.

"I'm just going to go talk to him. You might want to stay in the kitchen. Don't be alarmed by any loud noises."

Rachel's eyes widened, but she nodded her agreement and they separated. Steve came to the closed bedroom door, behind which was his partner and best friend. Squaring his shoulders, Steve knocked and opened the door.

Danny was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed except for his shoes, and obviously fresh from the shower. His shoulders were slumped and he was staring at his colorful sock clad feet. He was a study in dejection, until his head snapped up and he looked at Steve first in shock which quickly morphed into obvious anger.

"What are you doing here? How'd you ninja out my location, huh? Rachel gave me right up, huh?"

"Um, actually no, Danno. It was Charlie."

"Charlie? Oh, hell! And stop calling me Danno."

"Look, buddy we have to talk, okay? I know I should have come to you. Chin kept telling me I should speak to you first. But all I could think was what if somebody got their claws into you? Danny I couldn't bear it if I found out that you…" At this Steve had to turn away to compose himself.

An always insightful Danny suddenly realized exactly why Steve had invaded his privacy. His friend was a man with gigantic trust issues who was constantly betrayed by those he chose to rely on. Danny's fury dwindled and died and was replaced with concern for his friend.

"Oh, crap. Steven, turn around. I would never…" at this Danny put his hand on Steve's shoulder, turned him and looked him directly in the eye.

"I am telling you right now, I would never do that to you. I'd eat my gun before I would betray you or do something that would put you or anyone else on that task force in danger. But before I did, I'd find a way to let you know exactly what was going on and who was at fault. No one will ever have me in that position again."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I am truly sorry that I didn't listen to Chin." Steve smiled hopefully at him. "Will you come back to work now?"

Danny took a minute pulling himself together. He finally tossed a cocky grin at Steve and blurted out,

"Yes, obviously I'm coming back to work. But, don't get a swelled head you animal. It's not because of your apology, it's because I NEED THE MONEY!"

Danny grabbed his shoes and headed for the kitchen leaving Steve to follow in his wake.


	21. Chapter 21

At the end of the week, Danny and Steve were on the lanai at Steve's house. Grace was due to come home the next day. Joan had already been put to bed and the two men were just listening to the sound of the ocean and the hum of the baby monitor as they enjoyed a beer together.

Danny, always quick to anger, was also quick to forgive. He understood why Steve had done what he had. He had forgiven Chin immediately, after all he was only doing as instructed by his boss.

Steve had to work a little harder for Danny's forgiveness. While he understood Steve's motivation, he wasn't about to let him off the hook too easily. Malasadas or cocoa puffs in the morning and garlic shrimp or pizza (from the place that didn't suck) in the afternoon all during the week went a long way towards achieving his official forgiveness.

Danny had finally finished outlining all his problems to Steve. He liked his house, but, he knew he was just one major problem away from disaster.

"It's funny Steve, Chin was right. God, we should probably have that stitched on a pillow as often as we say it." Danny laughed sardonically and continued.

"I am house rich and cash poor, just like he said. That damn place has easily doubled in value, maybe a little more since I bought it. But, the bills keep coming in. Plus, Grace is getting older and is going to want to do more things and go more places. Already there's a big trip her class is planning next year. There's a couple of big Cheer Camps too. If her troupe does well, they'll be traveling. The list of things just keeps growing. In a few years she's gonna need a car. Before you know it, she'll be off to college. Stan already told Rachel that she or I will have to be responsible to cover any new expenses. He said he's not giving any more money than what he's already committed to, and let's face it, he's not responsible for Grace. I make a good living, but it just never seems like enough."

Steve had a germ of an idea, but he had to think it through himself before he brought it up to Danny. While they had a great friendship, he wasn't quite sure it could survive what he had in mind. But, he had hopes it might work.

They sat out on the beach until midnight, aimlessly chatting over a few beers and mending a friendship that was too important to both men to have anything go wrong with it.

Danny ended up crashing at Steve's. In the morning, Steve nudged his leg where he was sleeping on the couch.

"Whazzup?" a groggy Danny said.

"Hey, I just put the baby monitor on the coffee table. Do you mind keeping an ear out for Joan while I get a swim in?"

"Go" Danny flopped his hand at him. "No wonder you've been such an absolute ass if you've been missing your fifty mile swim every day. I've got the kid, get outta here."

Steve emerged from the ocean feeling brand new. Danny was right. He had been severely out of sorts lately. He wasn't listening to the advice of his team. He had lost his sense of humor. He was going off a little more half-cocked than usual.

He hadn't realized he had depended on his morning fitness routine so much, until he didn't have time for it anymore. He had been doing some form of exercise in the morning since he had been fourteen years old. It wasn't just the fitnesss routine. It was that every minute of the day that he wasn't at work was devoted to Joan. Acclimating to living with a child had been harder than he ever imagined.

He walked into the kitchen and found Danny and Joan sitting at the kitchen table eating. Joanie smiled a happy, sticky smile at him and chirped around a mouthful of food,

"Pancakes Unca S'eve! Danno make em!"

"Lucky you, sweetie."

"Oh, lucky you too, babe. Yours are keeping warm in the pan on the stove. There's a plate and silverware on the counter for you."

"Thanks, man. Nothing like a carb load after a good swim."

"No problem. I'm passing the Kitten baton and running upstairs for a shower, and yes, for your information, it will be more than three minutes, I may take as much as ten. When I'm done, I'll give little Miss Sticky a bath while you get your shower."

* * *

Several weeks later, after a terrible case where Danny and Steve had barely been home all week and Rachel had juggled all three children every day, they were once again sitting on the lanai, thankful that the gruesome case had finally been successfully closed.

During the past week, on the nights that they weren't sleeping at 5-0, Danny had ended up sleeping at Steve's. It just didn't make sense to drive home, grab a couple of hours sleep, then just have to come back to pick the big guy up in the morning anyway.

The men had spoken to Rachel from the office and had arranged to get all three children on Saturday and keep them overnight and into Sunday, so that she could finally get a little break.

As they sat looking at the moonlight and drinking their Longboards, Steve glanced at Danny and figured no better time than the present.

"Hey, Danny! Why don't you sell your house and you and Gracie move in here with me and Joan?"

Danny choked on the beer he was swallowing and spit it out, coughing.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, think about it. There's the master and three bedrooms upstairs. Joan has one, and you and Grace could have the other two. She's not even home every night, she's at Rachel's a lot. You could sell your house. You said it's at least doubled in value. You can pay off your mortgage and your credit cards, and still have a nice chunk to put down on another house when you got your financial feet back under you."'

"Plus, to tell you the truth, it's a lot harder to be here with Joanie than it was to be alone. I can't go for a swim or a run, hell, I'm afraid to take a shower or spend too much time in the john, wondering what she's getting into when I'm not watching her. It's exhausting, and it would be helpful to me if someone else were here to, you know, help out with that."

There was a long, deep silence. Steve figured that Danny was so pissed that he wasn't even able to formulate a response to his suggestion. Then, very quietly, from Danny's place on the lanai,

"Man, you know there is no way we are ever going to get people to stop with the married comments when we're living together."


	22. Chapter 22

Here it is! April 3rd! I promised to write one chapter a day between episodes and I managed to do it! I have LOVED the reviews I have received and many of them gave me ideas for parts in my stories.

I have gotten carried away and have many more chapters to this, so I will continue to post as long as I think there is any interest. There are some great storylines coming up for our little unorthodox family.

I really liked the comment a guest reviewer made about the importance to make a difference in the life of a child. As an aunt of 20 and a great-aunt of 27, I have often felt that way.

Here's the story. Happy 5-0 day!

* * *

Steve woke bright and early at his usual 5:30 am. He had on sleep pants and a tee shirt, grabbed Joan's baby monitor off the nightstand and headed down to the kitchen, where he found a wide awake Grace Williams, with a bowl of oatmeal and a bowl of fruit in front of her.

"I still can't get used to the fact that you're not a sleepyhead like your dad."

"I know Uncle Steve, it makes Danno crazy. But, once I sleep seven or eight hours, I'm wide awake. He says I've always been that way. So, I have an early breakfast, get dressed for school, and see if I need to finish any homework. If it's all done, I just read until it's time to go."

"How are you doing otherwise, sweetie? Everything good since you moved in?"

"Yeah, Uncle Steve. Thanks!" Grace grinned at him. This was beginning to be their familiar morning routine.

"That's great, Gracie. Hey, do you mind listening for Joanie….

"…while you get your swim." Grace smilingly finished for him. "No, that's fine Uncle Steve. If she wakes up, I'll get her up and give her breakfast. If there's any problem, I'll wake Danno."

"Yeah, good luck with that sweetie!" Steve winked at her, and she laughed at the shared joke. Her dad was notoriously difficult to wake up and was completely useless until he had his first cup of coffee. Steve headed for the main floor bathroom where he kept some board shorts and towels handy. Once he was geared up for his swim, he kissed Grace on the head, and headed outside.

Danny had listed his house after he and Steve had talked, at what he thought was an obscene profit from what he paid, "just to test the market" and had an immediate full price offer. After he had paid off his mortgage, credit cards and medical bills, he had his grandmother's inheritance back in his pocket, including the $25,000.00 he had loaned his sister, plus another $150,000.00. He felt such a deep sense of relief that he didn't owe anyone and he would be able to afford some of the things Grace was going to want to be doing over the next few years.

Danny and Grace had moved in a month ago, and Steve was starting to wish they had done it as soon as he came back to Hawaii with Joan. He couldn't believe what a difference having them at the house made for him and Joan.

Grace was usually up early and loved it when Joan would wake up early too so she could help get her breakfast and get her dressed for the day. The problem with her plan was that the only one in the house that slept later than Danny was usually Joan.

The issue Danny experienced with the sound of the ocean when he was between apartments and bunked at Steve's a few years ago had been alleviated with him sleeping in an actual bedroom. The three upstairs bedrooms were all on the side of the house facing the street. The Master Bedroom and Bath were on the other side of the hallway and acted as a buffer zone, so those rooms got very little of the ocean sound, unlike the living room.

Danny's sister had recorded a disk for him that was ten hours of the sounds from the street in front of their parents' house overnight. Steve thought it was a cacophony of noise, but Danny would just play it through the headphones Steve had given him and it put him right into a sound sleep every night, without bothering anyone else in the house.

Once they had moved in they had immediately settled into a comfortable family routine. Steve and Grace were usually both up around 5:30. Steve would grab a swim, while Grace had breakfast and finished any homework she might have. Steve would usually come back in at 6:30, and he and Grace would then get ready for the day.

They were usually dressed and ready to go by 7:00, at which point they had to wake Danny and Joan. Those two were usually ready to head out by 8:00. Since Rachel was taking Charlie to day care anyway, she still swung by to pick up Grace and Joan, leaving the men able to have the time to get coffee and breakfast and hit the 5-0 offices between 8:30 and 9:00.

* * *

Steve and Danny were in the 5-0 offices having their latest argument on a topic Steve could not seem to be able to drop. Even though things with his living situation were vastly improved by having Danny and Grace living at the house, Steve felt guilty and as though he had forced Danny into giving up home ownership. He was afraid that Danny's house sold so fast that he had no time to really consider what he wanted. Danny was adamant that he was thrilled with their new living situation.

"Man, you are the most stubborn animal I have ever met. Listen and this time get it through your head. The most important thing in the world to me is Grace. You know that. If I don't have the money to send her on school trips, or to cheer camps, or the million other things a teenage girl wants to do, I am going to feel like a failure. Stan is not willing to pay for anything more than the arrangement he has already given Rachel and she doesn't have a lot to spare because her business is just starting to grow. I don't want to tell you again. Everything is great."

"I know, Danny, but sometimes I feel like I forced you into it. You're my best friend in the whole world and you have no idea how much better my life works having you and Gracie living at the house with me and Joan. I can get a morning swim or run and either you or Gracie are there looking after Joan. I can make plans after work if I want as long as you're okay with it. I just feel like I am getting the best end of the deal and what are you getting?"

Danny took a deep breath and grinned at Steve.

"What am I getting? Are you crazy? Wait a minute, never mind. I know the answer to that. Look, Steve, the best thing that could have happened here is that you offered us the opportunity to live with you. That house was the best piggy bank I ever had. I never would have had market appreciation like that on anything in Jersey. Buying it, but most especially selling it, was a blessing for me and Grace. But, I couldn't have sold it without you offering to share your home, Steven. So, Thank You. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now drop it for God's sake."

Before Steve could continue with his self-imposed guilt trip, Lou Grover bellowed at them from the Main Room.

"Ladies! I hope I can interrupt the latest session of the Mutual Admiration Society, but do you think the two of you can get your butts out here to look over the latest videos we've pulled together on the case?"

Danny and Steve guiltily leaped to their feet and hurried into the Main Room to see what the team had gathered from the surveillance videos of their most recent case.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Here's the second chapter for today. I hope it keeps you entertained while waiting for tonight's H5-0 episode. I love all the reviews and comments! Thanks so much!**

* * *

Danny and Steve had Grady O'Brien in the interrogation room. He was a small fry that could lead to much bigger fish in the weapons ring that was operating near the North Shore. The two men were leaning pretty heavily on him to get him to co-operate, but they didn't seem to be making much progress. The door buzzed and opened and Kono peeked her head around the corner.

"Guys. You've got to step out for a minute."

"Give us a second, here, Kono. I want to ask…"

"Steve! Danny! You guys need to step out now!"

At her tone, Steve's head snapped around. Kono was really agitated and was wringing her hands together. Steve jerked his head toward the door, Danny nodded and turned back to their prisoner.

"Just hang in there Grady. We'll be back in a minute. Or an hour. Or tomorrow. While we're gone, think about telling us what we need to know and we can provide you with different accommodations." He then followed Steve out of the room, locking it behind them.

"Jeeze, Kono, what's up? You look panicked, babe."

"Okay, guys, I'm going to lead off by saying everyone's all right and no one is badly hurt."

"That's good, I guess. Kono, what are you talking about?" Steve was half smiling, but heading toward worried. Danny was already halfway into full blown panic, and her next words pushed him over the edge.

"We just got a call from Duke. Rachel had taken the three kids to the park down the street from her house. Pua Kai was on patrol and she flagged him down. Someone grabbed Joanie, but they have her, they have all of the kids. Everyone's okay. But, the paramedics transported everybody to Queens."

Kono had barely started her explanation before the men were on the move, and she trotted along to keep up as she finished talking.

"Whaat? What the hell happened? What do you mean, everyone's okay, but everybody's at the hospital! If they're okay, why are they at the hospital?"

At this point, Danny was completely freaking out, yelling, with his hands waving wildly about. Steve wanted to freak out, but he figured he'd just let Danny handle that part for both of them.

They had already reached the squad room, and were grabbing their cell phones, wallets and keys off their desks and came back into the main room.

Chin had an arm around Kono's shoulders and Lou was leaning on the Smart Table.

"Okay guys, Lou and I will handle Grady. Here's what we know, which isn't much. Rachel took all three kids to the park down the block from her house. She went to use the ladies room and left Grace in charge of Joan and Charlie. When she came out, they were all gone."

"Luckily Pua was on patrol in the area, and she flagged him down. He called in for more units. Pua had Rachel in the car when dispatch called to say they had a call about a kidnapping and there was a woman on Hopaka Street that needed to be seen. When they got there, there were several adults, a couple of teenagers and our three kids. The kids were all crying and they've transported them to Queens. You have to get over there and find out what's going on. Like I said, Lou and I've got Grady."

"Who was hurt, how bad?" That was from Danny.

"We don't know, brah. Just that the kids and Rachel were transported to the hospital."

"Let's get going." Steve headed for the door without waiting to see if anyone was keeping up with him.

"I'm going with you!" Kono said, she and Danny hustling after Steve.

"Okay, babe. Steve, you're driving. I want to be there like twenty minutes ago."

With that the three team members were gone.

"What the hell do you suppose happened?" Lou asked.

"I have no idea. But, they better call and tell us as soon as they find out." a worried Chin answered.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: If you're enjoying this story, give a shout out to the fantastic Wenwalke, who always leaves such nice reviews and asked for a third chapter today, so here it is!**

* * *

Danny was out of the car as soon as Steve pulled up to the curb. He was running ahead of Steve and Kono into the ER and spotted Pua as soon as he entered the waiting area.

"Pua! Where's Rachel? Where's my kids?"

"Detective. Commander. Officer Kalakaua." Pua was always formal.

Kono put a hand on Danny's arm.

"Danny, give him a chance to tell us what's going on."

Pua gave her a small smile in appreciation.

"Well, this is what I have gathered from Mrs. Edwards and my interview of the witnesses. Mrs. Edwards and the three children went to the park. Mrs. Edwards went to the rest room while …."

Pua was interrupted by Rachel exiting the ER treatment area carrying a scared looking Charlie in her arms.

"Oh Danny! The nurse said you had arrived!" At this exclamation, Rachel threw her arms around Danny's neck and hugged him with Charlie between them.

"I being sqooshed." The little boy complained.

"Come here, buddy" Steve said, as he reached over and plucked Charlie out of Rachel's grasp.

Rachel gave a sigh, let go of Danny to grab his hand, grabbed Steve's free hand and started dragging them towards the treatment area.

"We need to get back there for the girls. They're okay, someone said you were here, so I came to see, but I don't want to leave them alone"….at this she drew a stuttering sigh and sobbed slightly.

They were now all back in the treatment area. The curtains had been drawn to make two small treatment areas into a single, large one, and there were two gurneys in it.

On one was Grace in a hospital gown that was way too big on her, big brown eyes wide in her tear streaked face. She had long, deep, scrapes on her shoulders and back, but they weren't bleeding any longer. On the other gurney, was little Joanie. Blond hair wild on her head, big blue eyes still dripping tears, but she was very quiet. As soon as she saw Steve, she held one arm up and started crying harder.

"Uncaaaaa S'eeeeeve! Uppppy!"

Steve noted that the other arm was set in a pink cast. Kono reached over and relieved Steve of Charlie. He went and hugged on Joan, but didn't want to lift her up until he spoke with the doctor.

"I am going to seriously lose my mind if someone doesn't tell me what happened here." Danny bit this out through gritted teeth. He was obviously making a huge effort not to yell in front of the kids.

"I took the children to the park, Danny. I had to use the facilities so I asked Grace to keep an eye on the little ones. Grace, tell Daddy what happened."

Danny stepped closer to Grace and took both her hands in his.

"So, Danno, we were by the slides. There were other people in the park. Joanie was tired and went to sit in her stroller like she does when she wants to take a break."

Danny, Steve and Kono all nodded at this. They all knew this was a habit of the little girl.

"Charlie and I were by the slides. He wanted to go on them, but I told him we couldn't till Mom got back, cause we couldn't leave Joan. She was right there. We were right there! This man came running by so fast and he just snatched her out of the stroller and took off with her! I started chasing him down the street and I was yelling."

"And I ran too, Danno, and I yelled too!" This was from Charlie.

"So, then a lady down the block started yelling at me did I need help and then two boys from school saw, and they started chasing him too! Then a man up ahead was getting out of his car and he started running towards us, and he was yelling. Then, the man spun around and he THREW Joan at me!"

At this, Grace started crying hard. But her brother was not going to be outdone with the story telling.

"And Gracie caughted her Danno! She caughted Joan! But then they fell down!"

Grace nodded her head, choked back her sobs, and continued her story.

"I did. I did catch her, but the force was too much and I fell over backwards. But, I tried to make sure that Joan didn't hit the ground. I don't know how her arm got broke. I tried to not let her hit the ground!" Grace was obviously in anguish that she had failed to protect Joan.

"And you did a great job, little Miss Grace." They all noticed the doctor had now entered the cubicle. "I think that Joan's arm was actually broken when the man grabbed her, rather than from the fall."

"How can you know that?" Grace sniffed. "You're just trying to make me feel better."

"Well, I do want you to feel better," the doctor agreed. "But, I can tell because of the type of break it is. It is more from a twisting motion like being grabbed than the type of break from an impact. Other than being frightened, that seems to be the extent of Joan's injuries. Her arm has been cast and she can be released." With that he gave Steve a nod, and then continued, addressing his next comments to Danny and Rachel.

"Our hero of the moment, Miss Grace, has pretty bad abrasions on her shoulders and back where she slid across the sidewalk. She is also going to be very sore where she landed on her left hip and buttock. The good news is that the x-rays don't show any breaks. I do expect she is going to experience very heavy bruising on the area, and her body is going to be pretty sore from that jolt, but she can also be released. The nurse is finishing up the discharge paperwork and aftercare instructions and will have them for you in just a few minutes."

While Danny shook the doctor's hand, Steve took the conversation as permission to pick Joan up, and he cuddled her in his arms, while she buried her little face in his neck and cried piteously for a few more minutes. Then she snuffled and settled herself against his broad shoulder and seemed content to stay there.

"Well, what the he….heck was this all about? Someone trying to grab one of our kids, because of our job? Or some nut that's going around grabbing any kid?"

Pua had just entered the area.

"Apparently, it's any child, Detective. We've just had a call that a little blond girl was taken from the beach nearest the park, I'm going to respond to that call, since I seem to be done here."

"Pua. Hold on responding to that call." Steve started barking out orders, quietly.

"I want you to take Kono back to HQ. Kono, you and Chin get on the traffic computers. I want to see if you can find footage of this guy from when he grabbed Joan. See if you can find footage from this other little girl he grabbed. Danny and I will be back as soon as we get Rachel and the kids settled."

"Okay, boss." She began to follow Pua out of the room.

"Kono." At that she turned and looked at Steve.

"I WANT this guy." Steve said.

"Get in line, boss." And she was gone.

* * *

**A/N: This story is based on real life. I saw a news report of a toddler that had been snatched from their stroller and the older sister and brother chased after him until the man threw the toddler into an alley (I think it was an alley).**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Announcing a delay in our regularly scheduled story. This is just a little tale for Easter. To those who celebrate, a very Happy Easter. To those who do not celebrate, have a glorious day! I hope to post the next chapter in the regular story later today, or tomorrow. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**A Rather Unorthodox Ohana - Building Traditions**

* * *

Danny was on his cell phone in his office, not saying much and just nodding his head every once in a while. Steve headed over to his office, and as he walked in the door, he heard Danny saying,

"Yes, I'll ask them Rach. I don't know what their customary traditions are, but I'll find out. Yeah! I'll get back to you. Bye."

"What's that all about, Danny?"

"Well babe, Sunday is Easter. Rach is asking what we do for the day. As you know, I am a fallen away Catholic. Rachel, however, still goes to Church most Sundays. She wants to know if you and I and Joan want to join her, Grace and Charlie for Mass, brunch and the Easter Egg hunt at her house. She also wants to invite Kono and Chin. I told her I'd ask them, but they have a lot of family. I told her Lou and his family have gone back to Chicago for the holiday. By the way, if there is an Easter egg hunt she expects me to hide the eggs."

"Jeeze, Danny, I hadn't really thought about it, but I suppose we should do something to have a family tradition of some sort for Joanie, doncha think?

Steve looked so unsure of himself and was obviously looking to Danny for guidance. Danny hadn't initially been that excited about the prospect when Rachel had called, and in fact, had been thinking of how to graciously decline the invitation. After all Grace was 12 and certainly didn't believe in the Bunny any longer.

But he suddenly realized that Steve was right. They should be building better family traditions for the kids, and he definitely felt like Joan and Charlie were part of his family. He sighed to himself and plastered on a smile.

"Yeah, babe. It'll be great. You know what, I'm going to call Rach and get the kids for Saturday so we can color eggs at our place. Even if Kono and Chin can't make it for Sunday, I'd bet they'd love to be there for that."

"Hey, that's a great idea, Danny. Then on Saturday night, we can head over to Rachel's and hide the eggs while the kids are sleeping!" Now that Steve knew Danny was on board, he was getting enthusiastic about the holiday.

"Trust you to want to get all geared up in your ninja black and skulk around outside in the dead of night. But, yeah babe, count me in. Oh, by the way, Rach said she was picking the kids up from day care today and taking them shopping for their Easter outfits."

* * *

Grace, Charlie and Joan were gathered at the kitchen table, which Danny had covered with newspaper. Joan was in her high chair and Charlie in a booster chair. The men had hard boiled four dozen eggs the night before. Kono and Chin had just arrived and were seated at the table as well.

Steve brought the basket of eggs and set them in the middle of the table, while Danny scampered around setting out the smaller bowls he had collected with the egg coloring already dissolving into them.

"Okay, kids, everybody gets one egg at a time and colors it. Uncle Steve stayed up all last night and drew some patterns in wax on some of the eggs so after you color them they will have cool designs. Nobody hog any of the colors, I think there are two bowls of each."

They all dove in and enthusiastically got to coloring the eggs. Charlie and Chin were collaborating on some of their eggs. Joan would painstakingly dip one at a time with Kono giving her a hand. Grace and Steve were putting decorations from the egg decorating book on some of their eggs.

Danny had just finished coloring an egg and looked over at Steve.

"Really, Steven? You thought the SEAL trident was an appropriate Easter egg decoration?"

"Sure, Danny, why not?" Steve knew the egg design would rile the blond up. That's why he did it. He was happy Danny had ended up with that one. He wondered who would get the ones that said U.S. Navy.

Before too much time had passed all the eggs were colored. Everyone looked pretty disappointed that the fun had ended so soon.

"Nobody leave the table!" Danny exclaimed. "You each get one more egg for the Ugly Egg Contest and then we get to vote on the winner. Remember, Monkey, how we did this every year?"

"I do remember Danno. We haven't done it for years! I'm going to win this time."

Danny pulled out a separate bowl of eggs he had placed in the refrigerator and handed an egg to each person at the table.

"Okay, the object is you can use as many colors as you want and you try to get your egg to be as ugly as possible. Go!"

Everybody started competing for the colors and putting their eggs through the paces.

Joan would call out for a color, and of course, she most often requested "wed." Steve cringed each time she said it and Danny laughed at him.

At the end, the vote was taken and everyone agreed that Charlie had the ugliest egg ever. It was mottled green and brown and gross looking according to Danny. Charlie beamed at everyone, especially Steve who pouted because he had lost. Uncle Chin took second place and Joan was in third.

Grace, Charlie and Joan hugged Uncle Chin and Aunty Kono good-bye and Steve walked them out to Chin's car. He made arrangements with them to meet he and Danny at Rachel's at 10:00 pm to hide the eggs. They had appreciated the invitation for dinner, but had already been invited to go to their Aunt's for the day.

* * *

Easter Sunday dawned bright and sunny. Since Rachel had insisted on all the children sleeping at her house the night before, Steve was able to get up and get in an extended swim. Danny had gone for a quick run, because no matter how much he hated it, he knew he had to stay in shape. They then returned to the house and got showered and dressed to go meet Rachel and the kids at Church.

They were standing in front of the Church when Rachel pulled up. She looked beautiful in a lovely peach dress with a wide brimmed hat trimmed with a ribbon of the same peach color. Grace got out of the front seat, and Danny's heart swelled with pride. She looked so grown-up in a purple dress and purple bonnet with matching shoes and purse. Charlie got out of the car and Rachel had him dolled up in dress pants, shirt, vest and tie. Then Rachel got Joan out of the car and she was like a fairy princess! Her blond hair had been curled and she had the cutest Easter bonnet with a yellow ribbon, a yellow frilly dress with white socks and white patent leather shoes.

Steve picked up Joan and offered his arm to Rachel, while Danny took Charlie by the hand and offered his arm to Grace and the happy Ohana went into Church to celebrate Easter together. After Mass, Danny approached Rachel and whispered to her for a little while. She glanced at Steve and nodded her head. They then buckled all the kids back into her car.

After Rachel and the kids were settled, Danny went and clapped Steve on the back and the men got in the truck.

"Rachel's house?" Steve asked.

"Actually, no, babe. Let's head for Punchbowl and stop by your dad. Rachel's going to follow us. I think it's important to honor those who went before us. That's a tradition I think I want to teach these kids as well."

Steve looked at Danny and his eyes were suspiciously moist.

"Ah, yeah, okay. That's….that's a good idea, Danny. Thank you."

So, they all stopped by John McGarrett's grave. Steve knelt by the grave while Danny explained to the three children that this is where Uncle Steve's daddy was buried and that they were there to honor his memory. Only Grace really understood, but Danny felt that was okay, because someday they would all understand.

Afterward they went back to Rachel's for the Easter egg hunt and brunch. The hunt was tremendous fun. Danny reflected later that the competitive streak ran true in all three children. By that he meant Joanie, Charlie and Steve! Grace was actually feeling a little too grown up to participate, but Steve was running around the lawn like a loon finding eggs he had hidden the night before. Charlie and Joan were chasing him and they were all laughing hysterically.

Rachel had outdone herself on their Easter feast. Everything was sumptuous and the participants had been stuffed full of ham, potatoes and vegetables. Steve complained that he would have to double the distance of his morning swims for a month to work it all off. Dessert was the traditional lamb cake. Danny and Steve fought over who would get the head. Rachel finally cut the head off and split it between the three children. With that, Danny cut off the rear end and served it to Steve, with a smirk at the evil eye Steve directed his way.

Rachel was keeping all the kids overnight once again. She thought it would be easier on everyone since it had been such an active day if they just got in their jammies and watched TV for a little bit before they headed to bed, and the men agreed. After a little family TV time, everyone was tucked in and Danny and Steve headed for home.

* * *

Later, reflecting on the day, Danny was glad he had put aside his initial reluctance. It had been a wonderful day. Rachel had been so happy to have them all there. The kids had been beautiful and beautifully behaved.

But, the best part of the day was probably his partner. Danny realized that Steve hadn't experienced a family holiday since he had been sixteen years old. To watch how captivated and enthusiastic Steve had been with each part of the day, brought a little ache to Danny's heart. He was happy that he hadn't let his attitude prevent his friend from building a new family tradition.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: After the Easter interlude, I return you to our regularly scheduled next Chapter!**

* * *

Charlie was so excited! He got to ride in a squad car!

Steve, Rachel, and Joan drove back to Rachel's in the Camaro. Steve said it was because it had a car seat for Joan, while Danny was sure that Steve just liked to drive his car. Danny, Charlie and Grace had ridden in the patrol car they had drafted.

Danny had just finished getting Charlie and Grace settled in the family room to watch TV. Rachel and Steve returned from tucking Joan in.

"So, how you holding up, Gracie?" Steve asked.

"I'm okay, Uncle Steve. I was really scared. That man was so fast! I knew I couldn't catch him. But that lady and man and those boys must have all scared him! I think that's why he let go of Joan."

"You did great Monkey! I am so proud of you. We all are proud of you. And, Tiger! We are proud of you too! You guys really had the family spirit today. We always have to look out for each other, and you did!" Danny was completely rattled. He couldn't get over how much worse this could have been.

"You certainly did children! Now, I want you to go upstairs and get your pajamas on and get ready for bed. Leila is going to stay over tonight. Grace, the doctor thought a warm bath would probably be soothing for your back and bottom. So, why don't you go in my room and use the big Jacuzzi tub?"

"Okay, Mom. Thanks!"

Grace took Charlie by the hand, they both kissed Danny and Steve and headed upstairs with Leila.

Rachel collapsed into one of the recliners. She looked completely wiped out.

"Oh My God! I could not believe my eyes when I came back from the rest room and the children were all gone! Nothing was there except Joan's stroller and diaper bag. Then some of the other children began telling me that a man had grabbed the little blond girl and two children were chasing them. I was just so frightened. I swear I feel like wrapping them all in bubble wrap and never letting them leave the house again!"

Steve squeezed Rachel's shoulder.

"We were lucky, Rachel. Nothing worse happened. Danny and I are going back to HQ and we are going to figure out what the hell this is all about. Chin already texted me; Duke has had the patrols increased in this area and he's going to have a car parked at the end of the street overnight. Set the alarm and call if you ….well, just call for ANYthing."

"All right, Commander. And thank you."

Steve nodded stiffly, took a glance up the staircase and then headed out to the car.

Danny stood, walked over to Rachel, knelt by her chair, gathered her into his arms and hugged her. She relaxed into his embrace. Neither of them said anything. He finally released her, and gently kissed her forehead.

"I gotta go, babe. I'll let you know what we find out. I'm gonna come back and stay here tonight. I'll text you when I'm on the way."

"All right, Danny. That would be good. Thank you!"

* * *

As Danny and Steve entered the squad room, Chin began flinging video from the Smart Table onto the screens.

"Everybody okay?" At Steve's nod, he continued. "Okay, look at this first video. It's from the street by the park."

They looked at the grainy image and saw a man carrying what they knew to be Joan out of the park and running down the street. A few seconds later, Grace came flying out from the park entrance, her legs eating up the pavement. They could tell she was yelling as she ran. About a minute after that, Charlie came running after Grace, his little legs no match for her longer ones.

"Now, here's the video from the beach."

Again, grainy images where you could see a man running from the beach carrying a small, blond girl. No one was chasing him right away. A minute later, a young woman wearing a bikini came running from the beach and was looking all around. The man had already disappeared.

"That's two year old Sandra Pinski's mother. The family is on vacation here from Kansas. Duke interviewed her, she had stepped away to rinse off under one of the showers. She said her daughter was right there, but when she turned back, she was gone. She didn't see anyone take her. Just there one minute and gone the next. The husband was in the water with their two sons, 4 and 7. They are a regular, working class family. They saved up since the first boy was born for a Hawaiian vacation. They have no real savings, no real assets. She thought the little girl might have gone down by the water by her father, and when she wasn't there, she ran toward the street."

Lou and Kono had joined them by then.

"So, what do you think this is Steve?"

"I don't know."

"If you want an opinion" At Steve's nod, Lou continued, "Whoever this guy is, he was shopping for a particular type. Both girls are about two years old, white and blond."

"Yeah, that's right, Lou. Let me see. Yep. Sandra Pinski is also blue eyed." Chin answered.

"So, this has nothing to do with it being our kids and us being 5-0? This was just some random thing?" Danny sounded pretty dubious.

"I don't know, Danny. But, we're going to find out. Let's hit the research, people. See if this has happened anywhere else. See if there's some pattern."

They headed into their offices to hit the computers. Steve was going to put some calls into some of his contacts to see what they could find out.

* * *

After several days of hard core investigation, they were finding a pattern of child kidnappings in Hawaii and the contiguous United States. The victims were all around two years old, blond haired and blue eyed, and all were girls. In many of the instances, there had been a failed kidnapping of a similar child within days of the successful kidnapping.

The FBI was now involved and two field agents would be arriving at the end of the week. It appeared that because the incidents happened in various cities over the last three years, no one had put it together that this was one man or group, until 5-0 had started their investigation.

From what they could tell, there were 2 or 3 children that fit this particular M.O. kidnapped per year, perhaps over a period of three years. There was never any ransom demand made and no child was ever recovered, dead or alive.

Prior to the failed attempt to take Joan, there had never been any leads on who had taken any of these children. But now, of the 10 potential cases that 5-0 was looking at more closely, in four of them so far, in an examination of traffic cameras at the time of the kidnapping, a man with a similar build to the man who had taken Joan and Sandra was captured on film.

"Well, I'm just confused!" Danny finally said on the third day following the incidents. "What the hell is going on?"

"I'm not sure, Danno. Maybe those FBI guys will have some intel for us, because right now, I'm at a loss as to what this is." Steve responded.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I had a "Guest" reviewer comment that they were hoping I would write it up to Joanie's wedding, and I am embarrassed to say that I actually have plot outlines up to Joan's high school graduation! You should see what happens to Gracie and Charlie! I just don't know how long a simple story without a ton of blood and guts would hold many readers' attention. But, I am doing this mostly for my own fun, so I guess it's okay. Although reviews and comments always help get the creative juices going! :)**

* * *

The 5-0 team spent the next few days compiling footage from various traffic cameras and security monitoring of the homes and businesses around the different kidnapping sites, primarily focusing on Joan McGarrett's attempted kidnapping and Sandra Pinski's successful kidnapping. They were also actively pulling together anything they could on their suspected older cases.

The entire 5-0 Team had watched the footage they had spliced together from various cameras of Joan's kidnapping with horror, but also pride. Pride because of how Grace handled such a frightening situation. She had chased the kidnapper, with impressive speed, as soon as she realized he had Joan. She screamed at him the entire time she was running, which drew the attention of the neighbors. When the man realized he wasn't going to be able to get away, he whipped Joan straight at Grace.

Danny didn't think he would ever watch that part of the footage without his heart leaping to his throat. Even though he knew how it ended, he would watch Joan's little body being hurled like a rag doll at Grace, who flung herself forward to catch her. She immediately wrapped both arms around the small child, but the impact of body hitting body, caused Grace to fly over backward and slam into the sidewalk. They were just lucky she hadn't cracked her head open.

As horrible as watching the footage was, everyone on the team smiled every time Charlie would finally come running up to the scene. His much smaller legs hadn't let him keep up with Grace, but he didn't stop chasing them until he caught up. When he did, he knelt down by the two girls and wrapped his little arms around both of them. According to the neighbor lady who had first reached the three children, Charlie's first words to her were "Call 9-1-1! Call my Danno and Uncle Steve!"

It took two weeks for the team to recover Sandra Pinski, with the help of the FBI agents that were assigned to the wider kidnapping plot. While the footage of the kidnapper from Joan's or Sandra Pinski's videos had not provided enough detail for facial recognition, Kono had painstakingly put together video from some of the other kidnappings and was finally able to get a hit. That enabled them to track down the man responsible, who was still on the island. They were aghast at what the investigation uncovered.

The kidnappers worked with a very popular yet unscrupulous fertility doctor from the mainland. People flew in from around the world to consult with him. He marketed his services primarily to very wealthy individuals. When a couple was identified who could not conceive, they were discreetly approached. The practice had already done psychological profiles on all the couples, so they were able to target the most desperate among them.

Overtures were made that there was a two year old girl "available" whose parents were unable to keep her for whatever reason. Sometimes they represented that the parents were dead, sometimes they were in jail. The stories were always inventive.

The child was offered to the wealthy couple for an adoption fee of $1.5 million. Obviously the couple was aware that at that price, something was not kosher with the deal, but they had two or three couples a year that were desperate enough to agree to the proposal. After the agreement was reached, the kidnap team would simply fill the order by snatching a child off the street and wait for the hue and cry to die down. They always chose a child from a location that was quite a distance from the new family.

They discovered that it was always a blue eyed, blond little girl because the mastermind of the entire plot had lost his small daughter when she was two years old. It had destroyed him and made him bitter against the world. He took great delight in breaking apart other families the way his had been when his child had died.

It made the whole team sick that someone's grief could have twisted them in such an awful way to want to cause pain to others. The FBI team was now working through the kidnapper's notes and getting the information from the two accomplices who were willing to talk, to backtrack and find all the children who had been taken and reunite them with their families. There was still some debate as to what charges the wealthy couples would face.

But 5-0's involvement with the case was over. Sandra Pinski had been recovered and returned to her family. The kidnappers had been handed off to the FBI team for transport back to the mainland, and if they were somewhat more roughed up then they had been when they had been taken into custody, no one commented.

Danny was happy that he was able to tell Rachel and Grace that there was nothing more to fear. That the group had been taken off the island and that Joan had not been a specific target. The kidnapping had nothing to do with the fact that they were 5-0, which was a relief to all involved.

The Governor had granted the 5-0 team a full week of downtime after the Pinski case, barring any new case presenting itself. They had put in so many hours and worked so very hard to have a favorable conclusion, and the fact that the little girl had been recovered gave the Governor some very good press, which he badly needed.

* * *

It was the first day of their break and Steve was out getting his early morning swim. Grace was eating breakfast and listening to the baby monitor when Danny walked into the kitchen, in his usual disheveled morning state.

"Danno! I didn't expect you to be up for a couple more hours! I would have started your coffee already…"

"Don't worry, Monkey. Danno didn't get a great night's sleep. So, I figured I'd spend some time with my favorite girl before she has to go to school."

"Don't let Joan hear you say that, Danno." Grace teased. "You'll be in big trouble."

Danny laughed.

"How about I say my favorite little Monkey in front of Joan? But, Grace, you know you are always my favorite girl."

"I know, Danno."

"How are you feeling, honey?"

"I'm still a little sore, Danno, but I'm okay. It's just going to take me a few weeks to be able to get back to cheerleading."

Danny started the coffee maker and grabbed a bowl and spoon from the kitchen cabinet. As he sat at the table he noticed how Grace kept shifting her eyes toward him and then away, over and over.

He got up and filled his coffee cup, sat back down and figured the direct approach was always best.

"Something on your mind, Monkey?"

"Wellllll."

"Oh, there's a deep subject."

"Danno, that's so corny! But, yeah. There is something on my mind. Do you think it would be okay with Uncle Steve. I mean do you think Uncle Steve would mind. I mean, would he get upset…."

"Oh, for good grief, Grace. Spit it out. What are you worried about with Uncle Steve?"

"Well, Danno, could we decorate my room a little? I mean, maybe paint it a different color and maybe some curtains? I love my bedroom set from our house, but it would just be cool if we could paint the room and spruce it up a bit."

"Well, I'll ask Uncle Steve what he thinks."

"And, Danno? Can we do Joan's room too? It's just so plain. The furniture doesn't match and she doesn't have a pretty color on the walls or nice curtains. Do you think Uncle Steve would be mad that I want to decorate a little bit?"

"No, Gracie, Uncle Steve wouldn't be mad at all. In fact, I think it's a great idea. You girls do need prettier rooms." Steve had entered the kitchen without either of the Williams' hearing him.

"Uncle Steve! I didn't hear you come in! I don't want to upset you."

"You didn't upset me sweetie. In fact, I think it's wonderful that you want to include Joan's room in your beautifying campaign. In fact, I'll go you one better. Do you think your Mom would let me hire her to help? She has really great taste and has done some cool things to your rooms at her house."

"Oh! That would be so fun to do it with Mom and Danno and you, Uncle Steve! That's a great idea. I'll text her right now. She's an early bird like me. Thanks!"

With that Grace leaped from the chair, hugged Steve tightly, kissed Danny on the top of the head and ran from the room to get her phone and text her mom.

"Oh, God Steven! What have you done to me?"

"What are you talking about Danny?"

"The last time Rachel and I collaborated on a decorating project, we didn't talk to each other for three months afterward and that's when we were still happily married."

* * *

Rachel was excited by the prospect of helping to put together the two little girl rooms, but absolutely refused any payment from Steve. She was just happy to help. She did approach Danny to make sure that he didn't have any objections to her help. He assured her that he was looking forward to the project. Rachel just rolled her eyes at his assurance, and they both started laughing.

When Danny and Grace moved in, he had insisted on taking the smallest room. His queen bed just fit in the room and there wasn't room for much else, but he continually claimed he didn't need much. He was happy with the room the way it was and didn't want to do anything to it.

Joan had the middle sized room because it was closest to the Master and Steve had wanted to be able to hear her in the night. Even though he had the baby monitor, he still wanted her close by. Grace had the largest of the three, and her furniture from Danny's house fit the room nicely.

Rachel spoke with Grace about her color choices. Grace told her that since she had pinks at Rachel's house that she really wanted to do her room in lavender at Steve and Danny's. Rachel and Danny had taken a ride to Home Depot to select a paint color. Apparently they hadn't been able to agree on the exact shade of lavender at the store and had returned with several samples that they were painting on the walls to "test them in the light." When Rachel's back was turned, Danny shook his fist threateningly at Steve, but was careful to make sure neither Rachel nor Grace caught him.

Joan kept telling Rachel that she wanted her room to be "wed." Steve would open his mouth to correct her each time, but was always prevented when he saw Danny glare and point his finger at him. Considering Danny's mood due to the remodeling, Steve finally decided to get out of the direct line of fire, and took Charlie and Joan out on the beach to build a sandcastle while Rachel, Danny and Grace tried to agree on a color.

Apparently they had been able to finally arrive at an agreement because when Steve brought the kids back in, Danny and Grace had driven to Home Depot to buy the paint, leaving Rachel to have a cup of tea in the kitchen.

When they returned, Danny and Steve covered all Grace's furniture and set right to work painting the walls with the agreed upon color. Rachel had taken Grace, Joan and Charlie shopping for new bed linens, curtains, and nice rugs for the girls' rooms.

The next day, while the men finished with Grace's room, Rachel took a careful look at Joan's space. She pulled Steve into the room and pointed out that the mismatched furniture they had gotten from the Kelly/Kalakaua cousin connection was actually very good quality. She suggested that since Joan was going to need a more grown-up bedroom set similar to Grace's in the not too distant future, they should save the money and strip and paint what they had. She would get new, matching drawer pulls which should pull everything together. Steve almost kissed her, he was so happy at the savings.

When Danny and Steve were done with the walls in Grace's bedroom and finished stripping Joan's furniture, they were then instructed to paint Joan's dressers, changing table, and crib/toddler bed a deep, dark red, and then they were going to paint her room with the rose paint Rachel had selected. She didn't want the red to overwhelm the room and she thought this was a good way to satisfy Joan without making the room too dark. She had selected a "Little Mermaids" theme for Joan while she had been shopping with the children.

Charlie was a little sad that he didn't have his own room, but no one quite knew how to make that happen. There were only so many bedrooms in the house. Danny tried to make him feel better by telling him that they would be "bunkmates" when Charlie needed to stay over and that seemed to do the trick.

The week was over. The decorating was done. Rachel and Charlie were at their house. Grace and Joan were tucked in upstairs and the two men were on the lanai once again. Danny looked over at Steve and softly commented,

"I can't wait to get back to work. I never thought a week off would be more exhausting than chasing your ass all over this island."


	28. Chapter 28

**It's a lovely day for a barbecue.**

* * *

"Come on, Mom! Everyone's going to be there already!" Grace was pulling on her mother's arm in her excitement.

"Grace, please stop manhandling me! We are here, so you can just head into the backyard to greet the others. Charles and I will be right behind you."

At that Grace scampered off and headed into the backyard of McGarrett's house. He and Danny were throwing a BBQ and it promised to be a large affair. Rachel realized she had heard about most of the people that would be in attendance, but she hadn't actually met a lot of them yet.

She and Charles reached the backyard and he was sticking to her like glue, until he spotted Danny. Then he was off across the yard in a flash.

"Danno, Danno!"

"Hey, Tiger!" Danny caught him when the little boy launched into his arms. "I hope you brought some board shorts. Uncle Steve is planning to get everybody into the water today."

"I have them Danno! Mommy has them in my bag."

"Where is your Mommy, Tiger?"

"Right there, Danno." With this, he pointed back to Rachel.

Danny smiled at her and raised his hand in greeting. He put the little boy down.

"Okay, Tiger, see Uncle Steve over there?" At the little boy's nod, Danny continued.

"You head right on over to him. I think he's getting together a swimming game for the little kids. Tiger! You promise you won't go into the water unless Danno or Uncle Steve are with you, right?"

The little boy nodded vigorously, so Danny let him go.

"Hey Rach! How's things?"

"Can't complain, Daniel. How about with you?" Rachel said with the impish grin that Danny loved.

"Going great Rach. Even the PT! Thanks for that by the way, although it's taking a lot longer to get through it then it used to. I probably would have half-assed it completely without you pushing me to get it done. One of these days, this damn knee is going to give out on me completely."

"Well, luckily today is not that day, is it?"

"Nope, it's not. Hey, Rach, How do you think Grace has been doing?"

"Well, she's certainly healed physically, Danny, just look at her."

He turned and saw Grace chasing Charles and Joan around on the beach, the little ones' laughter drifted back towards them.

Danny turned back to Rachel, a warm and loving smile on his face from the sight of the children, which made Rachel sigh a little at how much softer it made his whole demeanor.

"As far as psychologically, I think the fact that you and your team were able to catch the potential kidnappers has been a great relief to her, and frankly, to me as well. She told me the other night that her Danno always catches the bad guys. Danny, I think that her belief in your abilities gives her great comfort. She's sort of fearless and I wish I had some of that."

"Hey, Rach, don't worry. I think you're pretty fearless too. Anyway, I hope you're set to have a fun day. Come on, I'll introduce you to the crew and then there'll be a quiz later to see how close you were paying attention."

Danny took Rachel by the hand to introduce her to their friends. She knew Kono and Chin, but was very happy to meet Adam and Leilani. She was also delighted to meet Kamekona and Flippa. Charles and Joan were enamored with them, particularly Kame, and after speaking to them for a while, she agreed with the children.

She enjoyed speaking with the ME, Max Bergman and his girlfriend, Sabrina, as well as his assistant ME, Mindy Shaw, who seemed to be spending a lot of time with a man named Jerry Ortega. She thought both Max and Jerry were rather odd, but the women with them seemed to enjoy their company.

Rachel got the impression that Max and Sabrina had been dating for a while, but she wasn't sure if Mindy and Jerry were. She sensed the man was interested, but she wasn't sure about Mindy. Of course, she also got the impression that Jerry might also be interested in her, with just a little encouragement.

She met an interesting man named Odell Martin and his wife, Yvonne. They were both very laid back, surfer types. Apparently, Odell was Steve's barber. When he found out she was Danny's ex-wife, he tried to enlist her in his campaign to get Danny to change his hairstyle. She wished him luck but assured him that his time was being wasted.

She met a lovely woman named Ellie Clayton, an attorney who was a friend of Steve's. They chatted and laughed together, bonding over their foreignness among so many Americans. When Ellie found out that Rachel was an accountant, she asked if she would be able to hire her to help with her taxes. Rachel handed her a business card and made plans to talk with her the following Tuesday afternoon.

Lou Grover's family was there and she was happy to renew her acquaintance with Renee Grover, whom she had met at previous barbecues. She felt a connection to her in that they were two women raising young children in law enforcement families. Even though she wasn't still married to Danny, she was still raising a cop's daughter. Rachel and Renee spent a lot of time talking and commiserating and by the end of the day, they had exchanged numbers and arranged to meet for lunch the following Saturday.

The party was in full swing. People were in and out of the water all day. Rachel was pleased to notice that it seemed the Ohana had an established arrangement for the swimmers. First, it was Chin. After about an hour, he waved to Kono. She took his place by the shore, and Chin re-joined Leilani on the lanai. An hour after that, Kono waved to Flippa and once again places were changed. Rachel realized that there was always one adult at the shoreline keeping an eye on the swimmers.

She also noticed that while Charles was in the water, he kept to the shallows. She knew he was a little nervous, and only ventured farther than his knees if Steve was holding him. Joanie was much braver. She obviously spent a lot of time in the water with Steve and seemed to have no fear.

Both children were wearing swim muscles and Steve was floating near them to keep an eye on them. He kept encouraging them to go a little deeper and rely on their swim muscles. Gracie was in the deeper water with the Grover children and their father playing with a beach ball. Danny as usual stayed on dry land.

Rachel was just heading toward the lanai when she heard Joan start screaming behind her.

"Chawie! Chawie! Hep him!"


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Oh, that Wenwalke! I can't leave you in suspense, now can I? Have another chapter today as a special treat! :)**

* * *

Rachel whipped around and saw Joan up to her shoulders in the water, her little hands flailing into the water around her. Rachel began running before she even thought about it. She could see Steve McGarrett's arms churning up the water and he was just yards away from Joan. Flippa had started running into the water from his place on the shoreline, and Danny had flown across the sand into the water and was almost there as well. The others were just starting to react.

Joan suddenly slipped under the waves just as Steve reached them. Steve dove down and came up with both children, Joan spluttering and coughing and Charlie still. Danny had reached them by then and grabbed Joan out of Steve's hands while Steve got the little boy to the shore, and performed rescue breaths on him. He immediately started coughing and spitting up water. Steve rolled him to his side so he could spit it up and not choke. One of his swim muscles was flat.

Danny was carefully checking Joan over and speaking softly to her to calm her down, all while keeping a careful eye on Steve and Charlie. Everyone from both the water and the beach had gathered around them. Rachel had tried to run to Charlie, but Chin Ho reached out and grabbed her arm. He brought her close enough that she could see every movement the child made, but he kept her from interfering with any of the rescuers.

"Steve's got him, Rachel. Let him make sure he's stabilized. He's okay. Steve got to him in time. The EMT's will check him over." Chin kept soothing Rachel, who could see that although Charlie was sobbing, he was, in fact, all right.

Kono had called the EMT's at the first cry for help. They arrived and checked both children over carefully and then reassured the adults that Steve had gotten to them so fast that they were just fine. Joan was trying to tell them what happened.

"Him muskel popded, Unca S'eve! Then he unda da wata. I twied to get him, but I not weach. I scweamded so somebody come hep us!"

"You did the right thing Kitten! You were really brave going in deeper to try and reach him, but you really scared us." Danny said, exchanging a relieved look first with Steve, then with Rachel.

"You sure did, sweetie! God, I just moved a little deeper to grab the ball that got away from the other kids. I only left you guys for a second, but that's all it took." Steve was really shook up.

"Hey, brah! Nobody could have gotten to them faster than you! I think my legs were just starting to move and you already had them both out of the water!" Chin was still awed by how fast Steve had been able to get to them.

With the resilience of children, Joan and Charlie were soon playing a game of tag on the beach. They had both been changed out of their swimsuits, Steve and Rachel stating that they were going to keep the kids on dry land for the rest of the day. The adults were still pretty shaken, but all the children seemed to have completely forgotten the incident.

Rachel joined Steve, Grace, Charles and Joan on the beach where they were making a huge sandcastle. She listened to Steve instructing the children about "proper fortification," "defensive positioning," and "accurate sightlines" with a smile on her face. The two little girls got bored and wandered off after a little bit, but Charles was absolutely enthralled. He positively beamed when Steve assured him that he had dug the best moat that Steve had ever seen.

Rachel left her little boy in Steve's capable hands and headed for the lanai. She poured herself a large glass of lemonade and sat down in one of the chairs. Kono was the only other person on the deck at the time. She smiled brightly at Rachel.

"Wow! That was just a relief that nothing worse happened. I've been around the water all my life, and I thought we had a good system for watching the kids, but things like that can happen so fast. It only takes a second. I have a feeling that from now on those two littles aren't going to be able to get in the water without Danny and Steve having a grip on them."

Danny had just arrived on the lanai and heard what Kono had been saying.

"Hey, Kono! Actually, Rach, I have a better idea. I think on the weekends when it's not too busy, you should let me pick up Charlie and we'll have Steve give both he and Joanie swimming lessons. He's already started with Joan, and I think that helped her out there today. I think Charlie needs more confidence in the water. What do you think?" He looked at her, a little worried about her reaction.

"Danny, that's a great idea. After all, we're living on an island for goodness sake. I think you're right and it would be wonderful for Charles' confidence if he could feel more sure of himself in the water. You'll talk to Steve about it for us?"

"Absolutely, babe." And Danny headed off to find his partner.

Kono looked after Danny a minute and then looked hesitatingly at Rachel. She seemed to make up her mind, and commented.

"Rachel, I really have to say thank you. I never thought that Steve would be able to hang onto Joanie. I thought that he would throw in the towel after a while because it would be too hard, and he would think he was doing what was right for her by letting her go, just like his dad did. He never would have been able to keep her without your help!"

"Well, Kono, we are just one, big happy Ohana, aren't we?" Rachel smiled quietly to herself, leaned back and sipped on her lemonade, letting her nerves settle back down. Being a part of this Ohana was much more excitement than she was used to, but she wouldn't change it for anything.


	30. Chapter 30

It was the first Saturday after the barbecue and Danny and Steve were out back with Charlie and Joan. Rachel and Grace had gone shopping. The men were working on getting Charlie's first swim lesson underway.

"Come on, Charlie. There's nothing to worry about. I'm right here with you. Uncle Steve and Joanie are already in the water, see."

"Okay, Danno. I not worried"

The way Charlie was biting his lip belied his confident statement. Charlie really wanted to be confident, but he was still nervous about the water. He hadn't forgotten how scared he had been last week at the barbecue when he had almost drowned.

The only thing that made him walk into the water was that his Danno was with him, holding his hand. He had absolutely trust that if he was with Danny and Steve nothing could go wrong.

Neither of the youngsters had on their arm muscles this time. Steve had been terrified that the two kids could have easily drowned in such a relatively small amount of water while he was just a short distance away. He was determined that they were going to learn to actually swim. He didn't want them to become dependent on the muscles. He had spent a lot of time over the last week googling "baby swim lessons" to make sure he was doing this right.

Danny wasn't sure he agreed, but he decided to let Steve take the lead on this one, since he worried that his childhood experience from losing Billy Selway might color his attitude. Steve kept reminding him that they lived on an island and the children needed to develop a "natural affinity for the water."

They were in water that was waist deep on Steve, so it was over both Joan and Charlie's head. Steve had Charlie and Danny was balancing Joan. Even though Joan was only two, she was much more confident in the water than Charlie, thanks to all the time she had already spent there with her Uncle.

Steve started with floating, both back and front. Once Charlie got the hang of that, he would drift him out and then have him paddle to Steve. He also taught Charlie how to turn onto his back to float if he got tired.

At one point, Charlie swallowed a mouthful of water and then started panicking. He was flailing at the water and beginning to sink. Danny started to move toward him with Joan, but Steve waved him off and hurried to pluck Charlie out of the water. Steve floated on his back in the water with Charlie laying on his chest and it appeared to Danny that they were having a serious conversation. After a few minutes, Charlie nodded at Steve and clapped his hands together.

Steve got him back in the water and they started practicing again. Danny could tell that Charlie's concentration was better and he was doing better at swimming without all the flailing. After one particularly long swim to Steve, after Steve plucked him out of the water, Charlie flung his arms around Steve's neck and kissed him on the cheek. Steve blushed to his hairline and then wrapped his arms around Charlie and hugged him tight.

They would trade off children from time to time, so that Joan would also have a turn to practice. After a few hours, both children had obviously improved from where they started. They finally got the kids out of the water and let them run around on the sand to drip dry.

Danny approached Steve.

"Good job with the kids today. What did you say to Charlie? When he panicked, I was pretty sure he wasn't going to have anything to do with swimming again."

"I told him that when I was little like him that I was pretty scared of the water too. But, I kept practicing and practicing and now I'm a really good swimmer. I told him that I wouldn't let anything happen to him and I would always be right there with him until he's a really good swimmer too. I dunno, it seemed to help. He definitely got the hang of it after that."

"Yeah, babe, I saw that. You did real good."

They were all finally pretty worn out so they went to sit on the lanai with some lemonade to let everyone rest. Steve took Charlie on his lap.

"Now, buddy. That's your first lesson, okay? You did great! Danno and I are going to get you every week that we can and keep practicing. You should always respect the water, but don't be afraid of it. By the time I am done with you, you will swim like a fish."

"I don't wanna swim like a fish, Uncle Steve!"

"No, you don't?" Steve quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well, what do you want to swim like?"

"I wanna swim like you, Unca Steve! I wanna swim like a SEAL!"


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Well, looky here. We have another two week gap between episodes, and I just so happen to have a multi-chapter story arc all set to go. Hope you enjoy! Comments always welcome and appreciated - and sometimes even trigger an extra chapter! :)**

* * *

**What will Stan's return mean for the Ohana?**

Danny was on his way to 5-0 when he received a call from Rachel. She asked if he would be able to swing by sometime during the day.

"Sure, Rach. I'm close now. McGarrett had an early meeting, so he drove in himself for once. I'll just text Kono so she knows I'm running late."

Danny headed over to Rachel's and parked in the drive. She had the door open before he was out of the car.

"Thanks for coming, Danny. I'm so sorry to bother you, but I'm a little nervous and upset and I just needed to let you know about something. Come on in the kitchen, I've already made coffee."

They sat down at the kitchen table, and Danny asked what was the matter.

"I've had a call from Stanley." She responded, looking down at her hands where they gripped the coffee cup. "Apparently there were news reports about the case with Joan's kidnapping and he has seen some of the footage with Charles. He is coming "home" to check on the family." Rachel's sarcasm was evident.

"I was so surprised he even wanted to bother with Charles, after no word from him all this time. So, I've spoken to one of the other Yamashita wives and she told me that Mr. Yamashita has become enthralled with the footage and keeps telling Stanley how Charles is the son of samurais, whatever that means. Apparently when Stanley arrives Mr. Yamashita will be with him. Danny, I'm so worried. What if he decides to stay in Hawaii? What if he wants to take Charles to Thailand with him? I don't know what to do."

Danny reached out and trapped her trembling hands between his own.

"Rach, relax. You don't even know what he wants yet. See what he has to say when he gets here. He can't take Charlie away from you. Let's just take it a day at a time and see what is going on, okay? No matter what is going on, I'm here for you. So is Steve and the rest of the team. You are Ohana."

Danny smiled a little ruefully to himself. He wouldn't say Mahalo to Steve when he brought him back from Colombia, but he had no problem telling Rachel that she was Ohana. He supposed that was because no matter whatever happened between them, she was always going to be his family, no matter what language you said it in.

* * *

Danny left Rachel's and headed for 5-0 and immediately filled in the team on what was going on. Then he headed for his office. He noticed that while Steve and Lou went back to their respective offices, Chin and Kono were working on something on the Smart Table.

They were thankfully in another period of comparative quiet. They had some cases going to trial shortly, so there was a certain amount of prep work for those. They also had a couple of cold cases they were looking at more closely. Otherwise not a lot was going on at the moment.

The following day, Stanley and his boss arrived on the island. Mr. Yamashita checked into the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Stanley went to Rachel's house, which made Danny a little crazy. Danny was also missing Grace because she was going to stay at Rachel's for a while, since Stan insisted on her attendance at the family dinners. Danny acquiesced to Rachel's request for Grace because he didn't want to add to her stress with Stan's visit.

* * *

Friday afternoon, Steve was on his cell phone in his office and Danny noticed he kept giving furtive glances in Danny's direction while he spoke. When he hung up, he squared his shoulders and headed in Danny's direction.

"What's up big guy?"

"Okay, first of all, keep a handle on that temper of yours, okay?"

"Oh, good God, what's wrong now?"

"I don't know, but that was Grace on the phone. She was nervous to talk to you, so she called me."

"Nervous to talk to me? Nervous to talk to me? Why the hell would my daughter be nervous to talk to me about anything? What the hell is going on?" Danny's voice had increased in volume with each word he spoke.

"I dunno, partner. Maybe she was afraid that you would overreact and start yelling without even knowing what's going on or something, but how could she possibly think that?" Steve threw a side-eye at Danny, who promptly deflated.

"Okay, point taken, buddy. Did she tell you what was wrong?"

"She wants to come home tonight. She doesn't want to go back to Rachel's. She's afraid to tell her Mom or you that she doesn't want to go there. When I asked her why, she said that she just doesn't like it there right now."

"Is it because Stan is there? Did Stan say or do something to her? I swear to God if he did anything, I'll rip him apart with my bare hands!"

"Danny, settle down and take a breath. I asked her if Stan was inappropriate with her in any way, and she said no. She said he is just different than he used to be and he is making her uncomfortable. I thought we could just tell Rachel that we are planning to take Joan to the zoo this weekend and Grace wanted to go along but didn't want to offend Stanley. Then we'll just pick her up from school today and find out why she's uncomfortable."

"All right, Steve. Let's call Rachel and get the yelling started. You're staying in here for this."

Steve didn't look happy but settled into one of the chairs in front of Danny's desk, while he dialed Rachel's cell phone and put his on speakerphone.

"Hello, Daniel." Rachel sounded subdued.

"Hey, Rach. Listen, I know you planned for Grace to attend all the trot out your kids events with Stan, but Steve and I are taking Joan to the zoo tomorrow and Grace asked if she could go with. Is that all right with you?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and Danny was about to say something more when Rachel replied.

"Oh, yes, Danny, thank you for the reminder call. Grace and Charles are all prepared for their extended weekend camping trip with you and the Commander. You will be picking up Joan and Charles from day care and Grace from school today then, as we planned? That's excellent! I expect to hear from you when you return from the Big Island on Tuesday night, correct?"

"Rachel, is everything all right? What the hell is going on?"

"Yes, Danny. That's perfect, everything is fine. I know this was planned well in advance of Stanley's trip and you would be unable to get the deposits back. This will be perfect and I hope you all have a wonderful time. I will speak with you upon your return." With that, Rachel hung up the phone.

Danny and Steve looked at each other speechless for a few minutes.

"What the hell was that all about?" Steve blurted.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I may not be able to post every day, but I will post as often as I can. A dear friend had a massive heart attack over the weekend. Looks like he's doing well, but I may not be getting as much computer time as I usually do. Keep him in your prayers!**

* * *

**The team tries to determine what is going on at Rachel's. **

* * *

Steve and Danny sat looking at each other for a few minutes, both of them dumbstruck after the conversation with Rachel. Danny finally broke the silence.

"All right. It's clear she wants Grace and Charlie out of the house. But, why? Is she in danger? What's going on over there?"

"I don't know Danny, but it was pretty obvious she was making it up as she went along. She must have needed to take advantage of the fact that you called her."

Just then Chin called them out to the Smart Table.

"Okay, Listen, guys. Ever since Danny mentioned the other day about Stan coming back, Kono and I have been researching Yamashita Corporation and Mr. Yamashita himself. We have also started to look into Stan's records."

Chin stopped for a moment and looked at Danny waiting for the blow-up. When none was forthcoming, he continued his discussion.

"Yamashita Corporation is a multi-billion, that's billion with a b, real estate and hotel conglomerate that is expanding rapidly in the Asian corridor. They hire young, bright, good looking American and British representatives. All of their reps are married men with children. Oddly, there hasn't been a divorce in the upper echelon of the company in two decades."

"Yeah that jibes with what Rachel told me." Danny confirmed.

"A second odd thing is that in the last seven years, several of the executives have died of sudden heart attacks. Since they're traveling so often, some of those deaths had local law enforcement called in. I spoke with the investigating officers on a couple of the cases, and only one of them was willing to talk with me in any kind of depth and he alluded to a drug overdose. When I pressed him on it, I was talking to a dial tone."

"You think they're involved in the drug trade?" Danny was incredulous.

"I dunno, brah. We just started looking into this, and I wasn't even sure if you'd want us to."

"God, Chin, I don't mean to sound like that. I am beyond grateful that you and Kono have been doing this. It really means a lot to me."

"It's all good bruddah, but there's more. I've been looking at Stan's financials. He had a really good portfolio of real estate, stocks, and cash until about the time Rachel and Charlie moved back to Hawaii. Once he was in Thailand, he has been systematically liquidating assets. He has signed some things solely over to Rachel, but the bulk of his money is just slowly disappearing with no sign of what he is getting in return. I don't know what any of this means and I'm just not sure where you want us to go with this."

Steve looked at Danny. Danny was doing that weird thing with his mouth that he did whenever he got really nervous. Steve sighed and turned to Chin.

"I'll tell you what, Chin. Let Danny and I have a chance to talk with Grace and Charlie tonight. Let's see if there's anything they can tell us that can shed light on what's going on with Stan. Then we'll fill in you guys and see what we need to do about it."

"I have some more information guys and it's not good." Kono piped in. "I called Adam and he has heard rumors about Yamashita. The old man is old school, very solid about family and appearance. But he has a son that's probably in his early 50's and that's who really runs the company now. The rumors Adam has heard are that Yamashita, Jr. is involved in the drug trade but Adam doesn't know how deep. Yamashita, Jr. is the one that traveled here with Stan."

Lou had joined them by now and looked over at Danny.

"Well that could explain a drain on assets with no visible sign of what the money is buying. How well do you know this guy? What's he capable of? Could he be dealing drugs? Doing drugs himself?"

Danny was starting to pace around the Smart Table now.

"Well, I don't know him all that well. I had that one run-in with him a few years back, and then I shot him that time."

"What?" Lou bellowed.

"Another time, Lou. We'll fill you in another time." Chin had laid his hand on Lou's shoulder. Danny continued.

"But, truthfully, I don't know him well at all. Up until the last few months, as you recall, I wasn't on very good terms with Rachel. But, I know that Rachel would never knowingly put the children in danger."

"Steve, you don't think Rachel is in any danger herself, do you?" Kono was worried.

"I don't know, Kono, I don't think so. She's really smart and I think she would have found a way to say something on the phone. I think she would have figured out a way to give Danny a heads up if she was. But, let's talk to the kids first and see what they can tell us before we go off half-cocked." Steve was heading out of the room to go pick up the children.

"Now he doesn't want to go off half-cocked for the first time in his life." Danny grumbled as he followed.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: My friend is being moved to a regular room today! Thanks for the well wishes. Here's the next chapter in the story. Once again, thanks for all the reviews. Believe me, sometimes your comments trigger a new chapter or a change in the plot. It's fun to see how the muse works! **

* * *

Danny and Steve went to pick up the littles first.

Joanie was excited as always to see them and wrapped herself in Steve's arms immediately. She was adorable in a pink and purple sundress with purple sandals. Steve couldn't remember the outfit so he figured Rachel had been shopping again.

As soon as Charlie saw them, he ran to Danny and when Danny scooped him up, Charlie laid his head on Danny's shoulder and squeezed his arms tight around his neck. He had on a long-sleeved softball jersey, blue jean shorts and sneakers.

"Hey, Tiger! You need to loosen up your grip a little. Danno still needs to breathe, okay?"

Danny looked over at Steve who was watching them with a worried expression on his face. They headed over to the desk to sign the kids out. Then they headed to the parking lot to get them strapped in the truck. Joan had been chatting excitedly the whole time, but Charlie hadn't said a word; just buried his face in Danny's neck and held on to him.

While Steve was strapping Joan in her car seat, Danny loosened Charlie's grip, stood him on the ground, and knelt in front of the little boy.

"What's up Tiger? Something you need to tell Danno?"

"I missed you Danno! There's a daddy at my house, but…." Charlie's lip was trembling and he stopped himself.

"But, what Tiger? You know you can tell Danno anything and you won't be in trouble!" Danny coaxed.

Charlie looked at him, then looked down at the dirt, and finally said in a voice so low Danny almost couldn't hear him.

"I don't like that daddy person. He's mean."

Danny hugged Charlie to him.

"I'm sorry you think he's mean Tiger. Do you know why you don't like him?"

"Because he's scary. Sometimes he smiles, but it isn't in his eyes. Sometimes he yells. And he makes Mommy cry, but she tries to hide it."

"Well, Danno and Uncle Steve will see what we can do about that, right? Nobody should make your Mommy cry, right?"

"Right, Danno."

Danny got Charlie buckled in his car seat, and exchanged a look with Steve over the hood of the truck. He could tell that the SEAL had heard every word. They headed to get Grace out of school.

Grace came running as soon as she saw the truck, but slowed her steps and looked a little apprehensive when Danny got out of the passenger side.

"Come on, you. When are you ever worried about giving Danno a hug, huh? Grace, you know if you feel like you can't talk to me, I want you to be able to call Uncle Steve and talk to him, right?"

Grace nodded slowly. Danny put his hand on her shoulder.

"Grace there is literally nothing you could ever say that I don't want to hear. But if it makes you nervous to talk to me and you would feel better talking to another adult like Uncle Steve, or Uncle Chin or Aunty Kono, that's okay with me, right?"

"Thanks, Danno. I just didn't want you to be upset. I don't want to go to Mom's, but I really didn't want you calling her about it either. I didn't know what to do. So, I called Uncle Steve."

"All right, Monkey. We're going to put a hold on this conversation until we are back at Uncle Steve's okay?" With that he gave Grace a huge, long hug and got her settled and buckled into the back seat of the truck. Once Danny was in his seat, Steve put the truck in gear.

* * *

Once the group arrived at Steve and Danny's house, they put the littles down for naps, Joanie in her room and Charlie in Danny's.

They had gathered on the lanai, with the two baby monitors on the table, and Grace had a glass of lemonade and a plate of Mrs. Wong's cookies in front of her. Steve was sitting by her side as Danny slid into a chair at the table.

"Okay, so Charlie said the daddy at the house is mean. His smiles don't reach his eyes. He yells. And he makes Mommy cry. Is that right, Monkey?"

Grace looked so relieved that Danny already knew some of what was going on from Charlie.

"All right, so what's going on? Is it just that Stan and your Mom are fighting?"

"No, that's the thing, Danno. Mom's not fighting. Not at all. She's being very quiet. I think…..I think she might be afraid of Stan. Actually, I'm a little afraid of Stan."

Danny slid closer to his daughter and grabbed her hand.

"Why, Monkey? What has Stan done to make you afraid?"

"He's a different person, Danno. He's not the Stan I used to know. He's really skinny now, he looks like he's sick, like Uncle Leonard. He stays up all night and barely sleeps. He talks really fast and sometimes he doesn't make a lot of sense. He loses his temper really easily and starts yelling at us. He's on the phone a lot. He's had his boss over for dinner every night this week. His boss is really weird. They spend a lot of time alone in the guest room Stan is using. He makes Charlie talk to Mr. Yamashita about when Joan was taken. But Charlie doesn't want to."

Grace paused and seemed very apprehensive about continuing, but she did.

"This morning Stan cornered Charlie and grabbed his arm really hard and shook him and told him that he better answer when Mr. Yamashita asks him a question. You know how shy Charlie is. Sometimes it's hard for him to talk to you and Uncle Steve, and he loves you guys. Mommy was in the kitchen and didn't see, but I did Danno. " At this Grace bit her lip, and tears slipped down her cheeks. "I got Charlie away from him and got him ready for day care."

Danny and Steve exchanged angry glances. They both loved Charlie and were upset to hear that Stan was basically terrorizing the child.

"But, Danno, there's more. And you're going to be really mad."


	34. Chapter 34

_"But, Danno, there's more. And you're going to be really mad."_

* * *

"Gracie, Danno can hold his temper, don't you worry. You can tell him anything." Steve piped in, and he put a hand on Danny's shoulder hoping to steady the man.

"That's right, Grace. You know you can tell me anything."

Grace took a deep breath and reached over to her backpack on the chair next to her. She reached her hand into the outside pocket very carefully and pulled out a syringe.

"I found this in the kitchen garbage, Danno. I wanted to tell Mom, because Stan can't be throwing his medicine away in the kitchen! What if Charlie got hurt by it? But Mom's been so upset this week, I didn't want to make her more upset and then everything would be worse."

"Grace, you VERY CAREFULLY put that down on the table and take your hands off of it, okay." Danny said this so gently and quietly that Grace wasn't alarmed and just carefully put the syringe down and put her hands back in her lap.

As soon as Grace wasn't in physical contact with the syringe, Danny let out a huge breath, and Steve reached over and pulled Grace away from the table.

"Gracie, I think that lemonade and cookies in front of a cartoon is just the order of the day for you right now, okay?" He picked up her glass and plate of cookies, and she followed him into the living room, casting a worried glance back at Danny.

"Am I in big trouble, Uncle Steve?"

"You are not in any trouble, Gracie. But, we are going to have a conversation about touching dangerous things like that. We're just not going to have it now, okay?"

"I know I should have gotten Mom. But, Stan's been acting so weird that I didn't want to have him yelling at me or Mom or Charlie. And I couldn't just leave it there because I really didn't want Charlie accidentally touching it. My girlfriend Lucy's dad has to use needles like that because he has diabetes, but he throws the needles away in a special container. Maybe you can talk to Stan and my Mom about getting a special container like that for our house?"

"Sure, Grace. You know that's a really good idea. I think that is exactly what Danno and I are going to do, okay?"

Steve got Grace settled on the couch with one of her favorite movies on the TV. He stopped a minute to kiss her on the top of her head and then returned to the lanai.

When he got there Danny was still just sitting there and had his head in his hands. Steve stepped up and put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"She thought it was an insulin needle, Danny. One of her friends' dads is diabetic."

"You and I both know that's not an insulin needle, Steven."

"Yeah. I'm going to get it over to Charlie Fong at the lab and have him test it. From her description of Stan's behavior, I think it will come back positive for heroin. You stay here with the kids and I will be right back."

"God, what about Rachel, Steve?"

"I have an idea there, Danny. I'll take care of it. I'll call you when I'm on my way back."

Steve called Kono from the car and explained the situation. Kono quickly agreed to the plan.

* * *

Kono rang the doorbell of Rachel's house and waited for her to answer.

Stan was right behind Rachel when she came to the door.

"Oh, hello Stan. I heard you were back in town. Rachel, are you ready?"

"Ready?" Rachel looked confused.

"Oh, don't tell me you forgot! I knew I should have called to remind you. You can still take me shopping for my dress for the Governor's charity event can't you? I know Stan's here, but I don't know what I'll do without you! Please! It's just a couple of hours!" Kono kind of wailed that out.

"Oh, dear Kono. I did forget, but there's no reason I can't go with you. The children are not here and Stan doesn't need anyone to babysit him, do you Stan? We'll just be out a few hours. Let me pop into the house and get my purse." Rachel practically ran into the other room and came hurrying back out before Stan could say anything.

"All right, dear. I'll be back soon. Call if you need anything." With that, she smiled brightly at Stan and moved past both him and Kono and hurried to the passenger side of the little Red Cruze sitting on the driveway. As soon as Kono unlocked the doors, she was in the car.

Kono looked back at the house and saw that Stan had stepped out of the house and onto the porch. He looked angry and had his hands in fists at his side. Kono perkily smiled and waved goodbye to him.

Kono got in the car and put it into gear. She looked over to Rachel and saw she was shaking violently. She was white as a ghost which just made the dark circles under her eyes stand out starkly. Kono drove down the street for a bit and then pulled the car over and reached out and laid her hand over Rachel's.

"Rachel, take it easy. Everything's all right. We don't know what's going on, but we're going to figure this out."

"Oh my God. Kono, how did you know to come and get me?"

"Steve and Danny sent me. They spoke to the kids and they got worried. What's going on?"

"Something's wrong with Stanley. He is completely maniacal. He's the Stan I knew one minute and then a grotesque imitation of the man the next. He'll be quiet and pleasant and then start screaming, and yelling, and throwing things. I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't let us leave the house without him, except for Grace to go to school and Charles to go to day care and he would ride with to drop them off. He has frightened Charles badly. What is wrong with him?"

"I don't know, Rachel. Steve suspects drugs. But, let's get you to Steve and Danny's, okay?"

"Drugs, Kono? Do you think Stanley has gotten involved with drugs?"

"We don't know, Rachel, but Steve and Danny will find out."

* * *

As soon as Kono's car pulled into the driveway, Danny was running out of the house. He ran to the passenger side and pulled Rachel out of the car. She collapsed into his arms. Kono realized that as upset as Rachel had seemed in the car, she was actually holding herself together until they got to Danny. She obviously hadn't felt safe until Danny was with her.

"Babe. Take it easy. Just relax. Let's get you in the house, okay? I'm going to put you in bed with Charlie. You are going to sleep. We'll talk when you wake up, okay?"

"No, no, Danny. I need to tell you what's going on with Stanley. Oh, Danny. Is he doing drugs? In my house? In front of my children? Drugs!"

"Yeah, honey, we think he is. Okay, take it easy now. We know. You're all safe. Now settle down."

"I can't sleep, Danny. I can't sleep with Charlie right now. I don't want to wake him. Please."

"All right. Come on and sit down here on the sofa." Danny gently placed Rachel on the sofa. Steve was just placing a cup of hot tea with a lot of sugar in it on the table in front of her. There was also a plate of Mrs. Wong's lifesaving cookies.

"Rachel. Just relax. Charlie is in Danny's room. Joan is in her room. I asked Grace to go read in her room with her earphones in. Take it easy and catch your breath." Steve was trying to be as reassuring as possible, and he knew that her first concern would be the children.

Rachel took a few sips of the tea and a tentative bite of her cookie. Then she looked up at them.

"I'm going to have to go back. He'll be waiting for me. He only thinks I'm going to be gone for a few hours with Kono. What will I do?"

"You are not going back there, Rachel. Steve and I will be going over there and having a chat with Stanley. Rachel, when you told me Stan put some assets solely in your name, was the house one of them?"

"Yes, Danny, it was."

"As the homeowner, will you sign this consent to search the premises? I want you to know we are specifically looking for heroin."

"Oh my God. How can he be doing drugs? And heroin! How did you find out?"

"Rachel." Danny sighed. She had to know. "Grace found a needle in the garbage and removed it to protect Charlie. She thought it was insulin. She thought Stan had diabetes."

Rachel just shattered. She started sobbing so deeply Danny thought she would shake apart. He reached over and drew her into his arms, while he and Steve exchanged anguished looks over her head.

"All right, Rach. It's okay. Will you sign the consent?"

"Yes. God, yes. Please just get him away from the children."

"Don't worry about that. He's never going near the children again. Or you. Danny and I are going to make sure of that." Steve had his lethal SEAL face on. If Stan knew what was good for him, he would be running already.

"Just sign the consent, Rachel. Then you're going to lie down in Steve's room. You need to get some sleep. Kono is going to stay here. She'll take care of you and the kids until we get back, okay?"


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: This was originally two chapters, but I posted them together because of a Guest who very nicely requested that I make the chapters longer. I listen to requests! Once again, I am so thankful for all the reviews. It's nice to know someone is out there reading this and enjoying it!**

* * *

After Rachel signed the Consent to Search, they got her settled in Steve's room and got in the Camaro and headed for her house. They were almost there when the phone rang and it was Chin.

"Guys, Yamashita checked out of the hotel an hour ago. He and an American just took off in the Yamashita Corporation private jet from Honolulu International. I think Stan's flown the coop."

"We'll still do the search. You and Lou meet us at Rachel's."

"Already halfway there, brah."

They arrived at Rachel's house and found the door closed but unlocked. They let themselves in. It was obvious to them that Stan vented his anger before he left. All the dishes in the kitchen were smashed on the floor, and anything of value in the dining room had also been destroyed. They checked the upstairs bedrooms next.

Thankfully, the children's rooms had been left alone, but Rachel's room was disgusting. He had ripped apart the bedding and it appeared he had urinated on the mattress. The pictures that Rachel displayed of her children and happy times in her life were all ripped up and the frames shattered. The clothes closet had been opened and it looked like he had taken a knife to the clothing. Then he dumped them on the floor and again it appeared everything had been urinated on.

When they looked in the master bathroom, they found that Stan had taken Rachel's lipsticks and written "WHORE" on each of the mirrors multiple times. There was a note pinned to the back of the bathroom door with a knife. Steve took it down and read it out loud.

_Bitch,_

_We're done. No more money for you. Keep the house and what you've sucked out of me so far, you're not getting any more. Keep the kid too. He's a whiny useless thing. I'll bet he really belongs to Williams after all because he's not an Edwards. If you try to divorce me, I will make you suffer like you've never suffered before. If you don't believe anything I've ever told you, believe that._

Danny looked homicidal at the violence that had been visited on his ex-wife's room. Steve knew he needed to distract him fast and put a hand on his shoulder and nudged him toward the door.

"Let's check the downstairs guest rooms."

The blue room was intact. Stan apparently had taken the green room. It was a wreck. There were a number of empty syringes scattered around the room. He had ripped up the bedding in that room as well.

Chin entered the room behind them.

"He has well and truly flown the coop. The Yamashita pilot logged flight plans to Thailand with the tower. So, he is returning to his home there. Even if we were able to get ahold of him, I'm sure he would deny he had anything to do with any of this. He had already left the house before we arrived and it was unlocked. Any good defense attorney would be able to make a case that someone other than Stan is responsible for this."

"All right. Rachel is staying at our house until we can get this place back together. Danny, see if she has any clothing he didn't destroy that we can take to her. Chin, get a CSI clean-up crew in here asap. I want everything gathered for evidence. Tagged and bagged. And I want the house put back into whatever order they can. Get that mattress in the master bedroom out of here. I want this house spic and span by Sunday night, okay?"

"Got it, Steve."

Danny was able to pull together some of Rachel's things from her dresser that Stan hadn't touched. He had some pajamas, a sundress, several pairs of jeans and tee shirts, underwear, bras, socks, gym shoes and sandals. Nothing fancy, all of that had been destroyed. But, she wasn't going to need anything fancy at Steve's. On the way back to the house he had Steve stop at the drug store, so he could run in and get the essentials for her as well.

* * *

When they arrived at the house, everyone was awake. They had the TV on and were sprawled around the room just mindlessly watching nothing. Rachel was on the sofa with her arms around Grace. Kono sat in the armchair. Joan and Charlie were on the floor with some toy trucks playing. Everyone was subdued.

"He's gone." Danny said to Rachel and Grace.

Rachel sagged into the sofa and nodded in relief. Grace got up and hugged Danny.

"He was already gone when we got there. I don't think he's coming back. Rach, I think he's going to cut you off financially."

Rachel squared her shoulders. For the first time in her life, she was ready to stand on her own.

"That's fine, Danny. I don't need his money. The title to the house is in my name. I have a few other assets he put in my name, stocks and the like. I am starting to make a good living with my accounting business. I can afford our expenses. Except…"

She turned to Grace and put her arms around her shoulders.

"Darling, I'll try, but I don't know that I'll be able to afford the school. It is paid for until year end. But, I just don't know about next year."

"Grace. " Danny chimed in. "Don't worry. I have money from the sale of the house. We'll figure something out, okay? You won't have to leave Sacred Heart."

"I'm not worried, Danno, Mom. Wherever I go to school will be fine, really."

"Should we go back to the house, Danny?"

"NO!" Danny and Steve shouted it in unison. They looked at each other and started laughing a little.

"Babe, he didn't leave the house in great condition, and the crime scene people still have to get in there. You're going to have to stay here for a few days, okay?"

"But, but, where will everyone sleep, Danny?" Rachel was worried.

"Well, Charlie can bunk in with me." Steve offered.

"You'll take my room, Rach, and Joan and Grace have their own rooms. I'll just grab the couch. Again. Seems like I never get away from that thing." Danny sighed.

"Ah, Danno, you love that couch. Half the time I find you sleeping on it when I go out to catch my swim."

"No sympathy, babe. Never any sympathy."

Danny took a minute. Then he called out to Charlie who had been watching everything with big eyes.

"Hey, Tiger. Come on over here a minute."

Charlie trotted right up to Danny.

Danny took his little arm in his hand and rolled his sleeve up. Rachel gasped and covered her mouth when she saw the bruises standing out on his forearm. They hadn't been there the night before.

"Did that daddy person do this to you, Charlie?"

Charlie looked scared. He didn't want to tattle and get in trouble.

"Okay, Charlie, It's time for me to give you the Danno speech. This is the same speech that I give Grace. I am also going to give it to Joan when she's a little bigger. But, you are a big boy now, so it's time I give it to you. Now you listen very carefully, okay?"

The little boy nodded and looked expectantly at Danny.

"I am your Danno. I love you. You can tell me anything, anytime. I might yell, but that's just because I care. I will always love you. I will always listen to you. I will always be there for you. You can tell me anything, okay?"

Charlie snuggled up to Danny and looked at him with such trust as he answered Danny's question.

"Yeah, Danno. That bad daddy man grabbed me and it hurt. He was mean. When I saw the spots I thought they would make Mommy sad to see them, so I had Gracie give me my baseball shirt to go to day care today."

"From now on, Tiger, if anybody ever leaves spots on you, you promise to tell Mommy or Danno or Uncle Steve, okay?"

"Okay, Danno. I love you too." Charlie hugged Danny tighter and then blurted out,

"I wanna have a Danno not a Daddy."

Danny smiled over his head at Rachel and Grace and reassured the little boy.

"You will always have a Danno, Tiger. Always!"


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Once again, thanks everyone for all the great comments. My friend is out of the hospital and recuperating well at home, which is a relief. I have some new ideas of ways to take this story. I am really enjoying all the different ways this can go. I suppose I should mention that I don't know that this will develop into a romance for any of them at this point. It's more about the kids. But, you never know which way this could go. :)**

* * *

Thankfully the next day was Saturday. No one had anywhere they needed to be. Chin and Kono were coming over in the afternoon with all the fixings for a nice barbecue and Lou and his family would be joining them.

Steve had been up and met Grace in the kitchen at 5:30. He smiled at her and handed over the baby monitor for Joan's room, as well as the one he had set up in his room for Charlie the night before. Grace smiled at him as she got the cereal and milk out for her breakfast.

When Steve returned from his swim, Rachel and Charlie had joined Grace. Danny and Joan were still sleeping. Rachel had already showered and dressed for the day, and had gotten Charlie ready as well. They were just sitting down to bowls of cereal. Steve greeted them, and then he and Grace ran upstairs to get their respective showers.

By the time Steve got back downstairs, Charlie and Grace were watching cartoons. Rachel and Danny were sitting out on the lanai with coffee cups talking. Steve stopped to fill the teakettle and could overhear what they were saying.

"Look, Rach. There is no reason we have to pull Grace out of Sacred Heart. Can you swing $8,000 a year for the next four years for your half? Because I can do that, maybe even a little more. She's been with those other kids for 8 years now, I don't want her to have to start in a new school."

"Yes, Danny. I should be able to do that. My little accounting business is steadily growing and I do have some funds set aside. I will be able to handle my share. Thank you so much. I didn't want to have to remove Grace from Sacred Heart either."

They sat in a companionable silence for a moment, and then Danny continued.

"Now, what about Charlie? I was planning to help Steve out with paying for Joan to go to Sacred Heart, because no matter what I say about the price, it is a great school and it has been great for Grace. I can help you do half for Charlie and help Steve pay half for Joan."

"But, Danny, how can you possibly do that? Joan is only a year behind Charles. That will be like paying full tuition for one child. You will run through all the money you gained from the sale of the house. No, perhaps it would be best if Charles attended the public school. I won't be able to swing Sacred Heart's tuition by myself. I think it is important for Joan to go to Sacred Heart. You help Steven with that."

"But, Rachel…"

"I've got a better idea." Steve interjected.

"Hey, man, didn't know you were there." Danny said.

"Yeah, sorry buddy, I didn't mean to be eavesdropping, but look, what if you let me go thirds with you for the rest of Grace's time at Sacred Heart? That'd be a little over $5k per year for each of us, which isn't going to break anyone. Charlie will be starting the year Grace is done. When Joan starts the next year, that will be $10k per year for each of us for the two kids. But, it's still more doable than any of us trying to do it alone, and then none of the kids will go to public school when we already know how great the program at Sacred Heart is. What do you say?"

Rachel and Danny were staring at Steve.

"But neither of you are responsible for Charles…." Rachel started.

"Rachel, we love that little guy." This came from Steve. "Besides he and Joan are practically glued together at this point. How could we send one of them to Sacred Heart and the other to another school? That's not going to happen. Maybe when it's time for High School we take a look at Kukui High, but for elementary I think Sacred Heart's the way to go. Frankly, the only one that should skate scot free out of this is Danny, after Grace is done."

"That's not going to happen either." Danny put in. "Like you said, we love that little guy and I love that little Kitten too. I've been lucky that Stan has paid Grace's education thus far. I've been lucky that I was able to sell that house and I've got some good money set aside. And I've been lucky you're letting me and Grace live here for the cost of half the property taxes and the expenses, babe. So, I think we should just consider it a plan. We're Ohana. Hey look at me going all native with the language! We'll get these kids through school, no matter what it takes, yeah?"

The others nodded in agreement. Just then the baby monitor burst to life. Joan was obviously awake. Rachel put a hand on Danny's shoulder and smiled at Steve as she passed him to go into the house and get their little girl ready for the day.

After Rachel left the room, Danny turned to Steve.

"How are we going to protect Rachel and the kids? I have no idea what Stan is capable of or who his connections are with this Yamashita character. They're still legally married and he is still Charlie's father. He could come back at any time."

"Danny, I've got a couple of ideas. Let me talk to a few people and see what I can figure out."

Danny saw Rachel coming downstairs with Joan and nodded at Steve. He had to trust that his friend would help him work out a good way to protect those they held most precious.

* * *

Once again the barbecue at Casa McGarrett was a smashing success. Charlie and Joanie were busy showing off their swimming skills for Chin and Kono. They both looked suitably impressed at the children's progress.

Kono approached Danny and pretty soon he was gesticulating furiously at her and at the water. He was red-faced and as Rachel approached, she heard him telling her "Absolutely not!"

"Absolutely not, what, Danny? What's going on?

"Can you believe that Junior McInsanity over here wants to start teaching Charlie and Joanie to surf?" Danny sputtered out.

Rachel looked over at Kono and noticed the smile teasing around the girl's face.

"Well, maybe that would be a good idea." Rachel couldn't help herself from joining in.

"Are you kidding me? It's just a few weeks ago the kid practically drowned and now you people want him floating on a piece of plywood in the middle of the ocean?!"

Steve and Chin had been attracted by the yelling and had drifted over.

"Okay, first of all, brah, it's polystyrene foam." That came from Chin.

"Secondly, he wouldn't be in the middle of the ocean, he'd be in my backyard."

"Thirdly, it's a great idea to get them to start getting the hang of the balance while they're little. You know for yourself how hard it is once you're old, Danny." Kono put in teasingly.

"Old! Are you calling me old, Kalakaua?" And Danny was off on a different rant. "If I'm old it's only because every day on this island is aging me rapidly beyond my years…."

Lou Grover looked at his wife, who was laughing hysterically.

"Oh my goodness, Lou! Is he always like this?"

"Yeah, he sure is. I don't know what we would do around the office without Williams for comic relief."

"I see what you mean, baby. He can really get going over just about anything, can't he?"

Rachel had arrived on the lanai in time to hear their conversation.

"Oh my stars! You have no idea. His siblings used to play the "wind him up" game. I asked one of his sisters about it right after we were first married and I heard her talking about it. She said it was something they started when they were all young. They would each find some subject and try to get him going. Then the next one would come up with some other subject. And they would time him! Whoever could get him going for the longest would win."

"Oh my God!" Lou blurted out. "That's priceless! I'm going to see if we can get that enacted in the office. It could certainly make a dull day go faster. After all, if I have to listen to him on one of his rants, maybe there should be a free beer in it for me at the end of the day. Hey, Chin!"

With that, Lou headed off to float his new idea off of Chin.

Renee looked at Rachel.

"Oh dear. I hope Danny doesn't get mad."

"Oh, he will. At first. But then he will settle down and see the humor in it. That's how he is." She said it fondly.

Renee looked at Rachel a few minutes and seemed to make up her mind about something before she spoke.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, Rachel, but do you still love him?"

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she smiled over at Renee.

"I don't mind Renee. Yes, I do still love him. I love him for all of his many fine qualities. But I don't think I could ever be married to him again. There is just so much water under the bridge now. But, he is a wonderful father. I am so fortunate. He is absolutely marvelous with Grace and he and Steve have stepped into the father role for Charles, which is obviously so much better for him than if Stanley were involved. At this point in my life, I just want to raise my children. I really don't need anything for myself other than my friendships."

Renee looked at her dubiously and Rachel laughed.

"Oh, all right, fine Renee. Don't look at me like that. I know that is easy for me to say while I am still married to Stanley and Danny isn't dating anyone. But if he found another Gabby or Amber, I might have a different answer for you."

The women changed the subject as they saw Danny and Steve approaching the lanai, but Renee was certainly going to pursue it with her friend the next time they were out to lunch.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Sorry I wasn't able to post over the weekend, but here's the next chapter! As always I appreciate all the comments - they really help encourage me to keep writing! I also am getting some good ideas for future story lines!**

* * *

A few days after Stan fled the island found Steve at the D.A.'s office. He smiled his thanks at Ellie Clayton.

"Thanks for putting this together for me on such short notice. Listen, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything about this to anyone until I get back, okay?"

"Don't worry McGarrett, your secret is safe with me, as long as you take me out for a zip pack when you return."

"Done."

* * *

Stanley Edwards arrived back in his room at the hotel he operated in Thailand quite late. He had been to one of the frequent parties at Yamashita, Jr.'s residence. There was always a plentiful supply of drugs, hookers, and gambling. Sometimes when he was not totally wasted, he thought about the life he use to have with regret. Generally speaking, that only lasted until his next fix.

Yamashita, Jr. basically had slave executives. The money his father's corporation paid them for running the hotels went right back into his pocket after he had managed to get them hooked on heroin. All of the men made sure that their hotels were a success because no one wanted to be cut off from the Yamashita gravy train. None of them could afford the lifestyle they had become used to without their jobs.

Stan was happy he had taken the opportunity to cut Rachel off financially when he had been in Hawaii. Removing that financial responsibility gave him more money for his addictions. He did wish he had more time with her in order to force her to relinquish certain assets back to him, but he knew better than to take a chance to be confronted by an angry Danny Williams.

When he realized that Kono had been there to retrieve Rachel, and not for a shopping trip, he had immediately contacted Yamashita, Jr. and they had made their getaway. Yamashita had not been happy with Stan, but definitely saw the necessity of getting out of town.

He threw his suit jacket on the bed, and turned to the mini-bar when he suddenly realized he wasn't alone in the room. There was a shadowy figure sitting in the armchair by the window.

"I don't know who you are, but you'd better clear out of here. I'm under Yamashita's protection. Nobody in this country messes with me."

"Well, I'm not from this country, so I don't think I'll mind messing with you." The man replied as he stood and stepped into the light.

"McGarrett! Steve McGarrett! What the hell are you doing here? You have no jurisdiction here. There's nothing you can do to me. Leave here now, before I call security."

Stan wasn't really worried initially. He had always seen Danny as the volatile and violent person on the 5-0 team. His few contacts with Steve McGarrett had been fairly pleasant and Rachel and Grace had always spoken fondly of the man. His opinion began to change when the man all but growled at him.

"No one is ever going to hear your calls for help, Stan. But, you don't have to worry. I only want one thing from you. As long as I get it, I'm going to leave here quietly and you'll barely be mussed."

With that Steve advanced on Stan, who sobered up as he realized just how lethal the man in front of him suddenly appeared.

* * *

Steve sat on the plane heading back to Hawaii and looked at the bruised knuckles on his hands. He smiled ruefully to himself. After all, he told Stan he'd "barely" be mussed. Even though he had gotten what he had come for, he still gave Stanley the beat down of a lifetime. Then, before he left him, he quietly whispered in his ear that he better forget he ever even knew Rachel, Grace or Charlie.

Steve reached into the small briefcase he had on his lap and pulled out the papers Ellie had prepared for him. There at the bottom of the page was Stan's signature. The paperwork read at the top: "Relinquishment of Parental Rights."

Steve McGarrett settled in for the long flight, content that he had achieved his ultimate objective. If his Ohana was safe and protected, all was well in his world.

* * *

Stan Edwards pulled himself together before his meeting with Ito Yamashita, Jr., but he was still bloodied and bruised. Yamashita looked him over after he entered the room and grimaced.

"Stanley-san. It looks like you got the crap beaten out of you. That's not good. That is a blemish on my name that this should happen in one of my hotels. Rumor has already spread. I had a call from one of my people in Cambodia who had already heard about it. Who has done this to you?"

Stan recapped to Yamashita what had happened with McGarrett. Yamashita looked angry but was trying to mask it.

"I will have to give some careful consideration as to how to repay Commander McGarrett for his visit here. I cannot have any form of law enforcement feel they can infringe on my property without retaliation. But, you know revenge is a dish best served cold."

Yamashita then eyed the man in front of him. Stan felt that a Cobra would have seemed warmer than his boss.

"You have made a lot of money for me, Stanley-san. That is the only reason I will permit you to continue in your role here in Thailand. However, as a punishment I must remove the other hotels from your control."

Stan gaped at him. He was barely able to afford his excessive lifestyle on the income he had. Yamashita was basically slashing his earnings in half. Thank God he had cut off his payments to Rachel, but even so he was not sure how he was going to be able to afford his lifestyle.

"Ah, I see you are worried Stanley-san. Do not. A young and attractive man such as yourself will be a fine …representative …for some of my enterprises. I will allow you to earn your way back into my good graces by becoming a salesman for the products you so enjoy consuming yourself. I am sure we will do well together. If not, I have other uses for one such as you."

Stan swallowed hard. He knew that he didn't want to know what Yamashita intended. He also knew there was no way he could avoid it.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Thanks again for all the comments. **

* * *

Steve arrived at Honolulu International quite late and headed out of the airport. He was surprised when a dark Camaro swooped in next to him at the curb.

"How'd you even know when I'd be arriving?" He asked the man at the wheel.

"I had an alert set up with TSA." Danny replied. "Now, ya gonna tell me what you were up to?"

"Just taking care of Ohana." Steve replied. Then he proceeded to fill Danny in.

The shorter man smiled softly at him when he was done.

"Thanks for that, babe. I can tell you I have been itching to get my hands on Stanley after what he put Rachel, Grace and Charlie through. Probably better for everyone involved that it was you, because I don't know that I would have let him get up. Who the hell does that to little kids?"

"An addict, Danny. An addict does that. I spent a little time on the ground at that hotel in Thailand listening to the staff. Stan has been thick into the drugs since he's been there and he is apparently a really heavy user. He also is pretty friendly with the hookers that frequent the hotel. I think I convinced him to stay pretty far away from Rachel and the kids though."

"He better stay away Steven. He ever sets foot in Honolulu again, I'm not going to be responsible for my actions." Danny looked pretty grim. "I am a little worried about causing an international incident though. The last thing we need is you thrown in jail in Thailand."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, we've got nothing to worry about there, Danny. First of all, I doubt that Stan or Yamashita have the balls to make an official complaint. Guys like that want to stay below the radar at all times. However, if they actually surprise me and do that, I've already spoken with one of my contacts. Right now he is carefully erasing any record of my travel to Thailand. In fact, your TSA alert is probably already wiped. All the official record will be able to show is that I was here in Honolulu the entire time. You can bet Stan is never going to contest Rachel having his parental rights severed. What's been going on here?"

Danny filled Steve in on the latest happenings with their Ohana as he piloted the car back to the McGarrett beach house.

Over the next few weeks, everyone settled back into their regular routines.

Danny took the time to have a long talk with Grace about Stan. Danny felt it was a good opportunity to be honest with his daughter and be open with her about the terrible effects a drug addiction could have on a person. He thought she was young for the conversation, but he decided that Stan presented a perfect example of the horrors of drug use. He felt if highlighting the differences drugs had wrought on Stan made an impression on Grace that would prevent her from ever becoming involved with them, it was worth it.

Charlie had been pretty rattled by Stan's visit. As a result, he began relying more and more on Danny and Steve's presence on a day to day basis. Rachel knew it was important for his confidence and sense of self to be with them so she had no objection when they wanted to include him in an activity.

In turn, Rachel really enjoyed being able to pick up Joan and take her and Grace out on some fun mother/daughter type activities. On the occasions when they were going shopping or to have their nails done, Rachel just arranged to leave Charlie with Danny or Steve.

Charlie had early on made his opinion quite clear about the fact that he was not interested in participating in the frequent shopping trips he was dragged on. The most memorable time was when he absolutely refused to enter the lingerie department of a department store when Rachel and Grace were shopping. Rachel reluctantly told him to stay right with the stroller while she and Grace quickly looked at bras. She figured as long as she could see him it would be all right. Unfortunately a sales associate approached him, and he asked the woman to "call 5-0." Rachel had done some quick talking to cancel that alert. After that Danny had to spend some time with the little boy, assuring him that he could always call Danny and Steve while still trying to make him aware of when and how it was appropriate to do so.

Of all the activities the men undertook with Charlie, he loved his swimming lessons most of all. It was amazing how good he had become in the water. Steve had even had both he and Joan balancing on a small surfboard on several occasions, over Danny's loud objections.

On Saturday mornings, Steve and Joan would call Aunt Deb and Uncle Leonard. Usually Danny and Grace were involved in the calls as well, and if Charlie were there he participated too. Joan and Charlie usually had some pictures they had drawn for them that they would display to the monitor and Danny would mail during the week.

Deb's cancer was responding quite well to her regimen of treatment. In fact, her doctors told her she was in remission, but she was afraid to believe it. Leonard was quite obviously failing. He had been Stage IV for a long time and there wasn't much that could be done for him, except try and make him comfortable. They often talked about Deb and Leonard returning to Hawaii for a visit or the Ohana going to LA, but they hadn't arrived at a good plan yet, although Deb was looking at some websites for another cruise.

There hadn't been any further word from Stanley. Rachel had been extremely grateful to Steve for the paperwork to erase Stan from Charlie's life. She worked with Ellie Clayton and was able to file the relinquishment of parental rights for Stan and she also obtained a legal separation. She was still too afraid to file for a divorce, but this way Stan was legally removed from official involvement in their lives.

It saddened Rachel, but she realized that just because Stan was the biological father did not make him the best choice in raising her child. She found more support, comfort, and camaraderie with Danny, Steve, and their extended Ohana than she had ever received from Stanley.

They were all looking forward to what the coming months and years would bring for them.

* * *

**A/N: Tomorrow's story continues with more of a fun hearted look at how our Ohana spends their free time. Hope you are still enjoying my little world!**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: And now it's time for some fun! Once again, I love all the comments and try to work some of your suggestions into the stories. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

It was a few weeks after Stan's visit and everything had finally returned to their normal routine when Steve stuck his head into Danny's office late in the afternoon.

"Hey, man, got a sec?"

Danny looked up from the computer screen.

"Yeah, let me just finish this report." He tapped a couple of keys, and settled back in his chair, looking expectantly at Steve.

"What's up?"

"So, you remember Kamekona's cousin JC?"

Danny smiled and nodded. JC was one of Kamekona's more normal cousins. JC had a large family and he and Steve had pitched in a few months back to help paint the man's house. Although it had been a lot of work, it had also been a lot of fun, a really good day spent with friends.

"So, anyway, JC called me the other day. Um, he has a four year old, remember, Jason?"

"Well, I don't remember the specific kid from the dozens running around that day, but yeah, okay? What's up with him?"

"Well, JC wants to sign him up for tee ball, but apparently there is a lack of coaches. JC can't do it because he's already coaching his 7 and 10 year old's teams. Kamekona told him that you or I might be interested. I called JC and told him that we would do it together, but only if Charlie could be on our team. He's a couple of weeks short of the cut-off, but JC said that he'd make sure that if we'd coach a team, that he'd be on it. Apparently, they already have an almost full team of kids, but no coach. What'd ya say?"

Danny looked at Steve's hopeful, boyish face and gave a huge sigh. He realized he was now going to be a tee ball coach. He loved coaching Grace's team, but they were older. Such little kids were a lot of work. He finally gave Steve a little grin.

"First off, the shave ice is always going to be on you, so don't forget your wallet. Secondly, when do we start?"

Steve high-fived Danny and headed back to his own office to call JC back and tell him they were in. He figured that he would get Chin, Lou and Kono on board as well. That way, even if they had a case, hopefully they could spare one person to make the practices and games.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny and Steve cleared the plan with Rachel over the phone. When they arrived at her house later, they had a lot of fun telling Charlie about tee ball. Grace wasn't home and Joan sat on Rachel's lap listening to them. She finally looked over at Steve.

"Me too, Unca S'eve? Me pway tee ball too?" She asked hopefully.

"No, baby, I'm sorry. You're still too little. Charlie is actually almost too little, but they're letting him because they want us to coach. You can come watch though." Steve said to try and cheer her up.

The disgusted look the little girl shot his way spoke volumes. Although he knew they weren't blood related, he could swear it had his sister Mary written all over it.

"No wanna watch. Wanna DO!." She grumped. She bounced off Rachel's lap and stomped off to the play room.

"Oh, dear, I hate for her to be upset. These two really are joined at the hip aren't they?" This came from Rachel. "I suppose it will be good for them to have different interests, don't you think?"

"Well, doesn't matter what we think. She's still too young." Danny said. "I wonder if we can come up with something else for her."

"Ah, she'll be fine, Danny. Never too young to learn that you can't do everything you want, I suppose." Steve responded. Danny could hear the echo of a young boy who didn't get to do everything he wanted.

That response didn't sit well with Danny and the next day he started to google T-ball programs on the island. He was sorry to find out that their information was correct. The minimum age was four, although some exceptions were made to allow three year olds. He couldn't find a single program that would allow a child as young as Joan.

Kono knocked on the door, just as he was closing down his latest search window.

"Paperwork on a case, brah? That's usually the only thing that gets THAT particular face going."

"Face! I'm not the one with the face, that's Commander Cuckoo Bird over there. I don't have a face." Danny exclaimed.

"Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, my friend. So, is it a case?"

"Nah. Not a case. Just disappointing news for my favorite little Kitten." Danny proceeded to fill Kono in on the problem.

"I've got an idea, Danny!" Kono turned that sunny grin on him that Danny loved so much. "Let me make a couple of calls and see if it's a possibility before I say anything, okay?"

"Oooookay. But, none of these programs seem good for a kid as little as Joan." He warned her.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Two days later, Steve headed over to Danny's office. He stopped in the doorway and took a double take when he saw the beaming smile that Danny was directing at Kono.

"Wow, Kono, did you just sing an entire medley of Bon Jovi hits? I never saw Danno looking so happy in all the time I've known him!"

"Very funny, man. You are going to be thrilled when you find out what Kono has found for Joanie."

Steve looked expectantly at Kono, who was also smiling, but looked a little apprehensive at Steve's reaction.

"Actually, I think this is a really great idea, Steve. My friend Rhani Kuewa runs a hula school on the island. They teach the kids hula and some Hawaiian language and customs. It's all age appropriate. She has been doing two age groups, 3 to 6 and 7 to 13. But, she's interested in starting another group for even younger kids and when I mentioned Joan, she said she could start the new class with her. She's going to re-set her program so it's 2 and 3 year olds, 4 to 7 and 8 to 13. She said the three year olds would do better in a younger group. She already accepted Joan, if you're interested that is."

Steve looked stunned for a few seconds then he happily grinned at Kono and Danny.

"That's what you've been working on? Wow, Danny, you really are starting to love the island if you came up with an idea like this."

Kono grinned in relief that Steve seemed happy about the idea, while Danny started sputtering like only he could.

"Love this island? Do you hear yourself? Of course, I don't love this island. But, I love that kid, so you can bet that if there is a way to keep her from being disappointed that she can't play tee ball, I'm going to try and find it. Kono came up with the idea anyway, not me." Danny grabbed his coffee cup and headed for their kitchen, muttering all the way.

"Love this island! Who's he trying to kid with all the different ways this island tries to kill me on a daily basis and another thing…"

Steve and Kono looked affectionately after him, and then looked at each other and laughed. Kono brightly said to Steve.

"Well, if you count the continued muttering that's at least a ten minute rant. Listen to him! He's still going! You might win this week's "Wind him up" contest because I think Chin only got 8 minutes when he started following your lead and putting grass fed butter in his coffee the other day."

Steve started laughing hysterically.

"Lou's gonna be sorry he started this contest. I know all the best ways to rile Danny up and that's without even trying. I may never have to pay for a beer again."

"Like you paid for so many before!" Kono laughed. "Anyway, Steve, here's Rhani's information. She's expecting a call from you to sign Joanie up and then she'll give you the information on when and where. You actually do a punch card, so you're only paying for the classes the child actually attends. She has classes practically every day of the week, but you just bring the kid when you can, and she said different kids have different interest levels for it.

"Wow, Kono, that's great. I think a program like this will be terrific for Joanie."


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Wow! Chapter Forty! I never thought I had forty chapters of anything in me. This is a lot of fun and it is your comments and faves and follows that make it even more fun! Keep them coming! Now, let's see what our little Ohana is up to over the next few days and weeks.**

* * *

The first tee ball practice was a riot. The kids were so little and most of them were nervous. Steve swore the glove one little boy was wearing was larger than the child himself. Since Steve and Danny were both very athletic men, they were thrilled that, although Charlie was always a little shy, he was also a natural athlete, even for such a little boy. He had a good arm, but most importantly, he listened to directions and tried his best to follow them.

Danny had everyone gathered around him.

"Okay, everyone has watched baseball, right?"

A dozen little heads nodded in answer.

"Everyone knows where the pitcher's mound is, right?

Again, a dozen little heads nodded.

"All right, everybody run to the pitcher's mound and I'll meet you there. Mark, get set, go."

Steve collapsed to the ground in laughter as a dozen little boys and girls ran all around the field, and some of them past center field. Only two of them, one being Charlie and one a little four year old girl, actually had any idea where the pitcher's mound was.

Danny was red-faced yelling at the kids to "come back, come back here now!" and then turned and glared at his partner.

"Could you possibly be any more useless?"

"I dunno, Danny, tell me where the pitcher's mound is again?" At that, Steve once again collapsed into giggles.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny pulled the Camaro into its parking spot at Steve's house and he and Grace hopped out of the car.

"You got the bags with the burgers, Monkey?"

"I sure do Danno! I bet Uncle Steve and Joan are going to be so surprised that we're back so much earlier than they expected! I'm sorry cheer practice got cancelled, but I'm glad we get to spend the evening at home."

"Me too, Monkey. Now, let's see where Super Seal and the Kitten are."

They entered the house. Danny could hear some island music playing out on the lanai so he headed toward the back door. And stopped in his tracks, Grace running into him because he had stopped so abruptly.

Grace peered around her father and started giggling at the sight that was in front of them. Joan was in her little grass skirt and bikini top for her hula class and she and Uncle Steve were both gyrating their hips and waving their hands to the hula music that Steve had started on his ipad. Neither of them were aware of the arrival of the Williams' family.

"See, Joanie, just like that, just keep rolling your hips around like that. Maybe we'll get you a hula hoop too, that would help you practice."

Steve stopped talking as he became aware of the sound of laughter. He looked up to find his friend Danny with his iphone out recording the whole scene.

"Danny! I swear to God you better not be emailing that to anyone!"

Danny's eyes bugged out as he saw his partner sprinting his way, and he whipped around Grace and started running for the front door. His bad leg gave out on him on the driveway and the faster SEAL dropped him to the ground. The two men began wrestling for the phone.

Grace had grabbed Joan's hand and walked her through the house. The two little girls stood on the porch looking at their parental units writhing around on the ground for a few minutes. Grace then looked down at Joan.

"Grown-ups are weird."

She shrugged her shoulders at the little girl and then guided her into the house. No reason why their burgers and fries needed to get cold.

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"How can she possibly have a recital already? Hasn't she only been taking classes for like a month?"

"Shhhh, Daniel. It's been two months and she's really excited. They do a recital every few months." This was from Rachel.

"But, what can she possibly know yet? Are we actually going to come watch this every couple months?"

"Danny, I swear to God I am going to muzzle you if you don't shut up." That was from Steve.

"I'm just saying….." Danny trailed off as the music started up and ten little girls were guided onto the stage by Kono's friend Rhani, a statuesque Hawaiian woman.

With Rhani leading the troupe of little 2 and 3 year old girls, they did a creditable job of performing several hulas to the enthusiastic cheers of their families in the audience.

When the lights came up, Steve glanced over at Danny.

"Softie." He accused when he saw Danny wiping his eyes.

"Just grit in my eyes from that dumpster search earlier today, Steven." Danny responded with his eyes suspiciously moist.

"You keep telling yourself that, buddy."

Rachel just smiled at both men and then hurried to meet the excited little girl in her hula outfit who was thrilled she had gotten to perform in front of her aunt, uncle and Danno.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny was on the phone with Rachel and was waving to Steve from his office to come over. When Steve got there, he flipped the phone on speaker.

"Okay, Rach, Steve's here too. Now, what's that schedule again?"

"All right, Danny. On Saturday, Grace has to be at school at 2:30 for the game. You and Steve have a game with Charles at 3:00 and Joanie really wants to go to the Hula class at 1:30. I will handle both Grace and Joan, you and Steve take care of Charles. Then, why don't we meet at Rainbow for dinner around 5:00 p.m. and we can swap out the children? Will that work for you?"

Danny looked at Steve, who nodded his head.

"Okay, Rachel that works perfect. Let me know if there's any changes, okay?"

Okay, Daniel, Steven, have a good evening."

"Bye Rachel!" Both men said together.

They hung up the phone and looked at each other for a minute.

"Okay, that takes care of any Saturday plans we had. What's Sunday?"

"Oh, yeah. We're going to have all three kids overnight Saturday night to give Rachel a little break. So, why don't we just plan a home day on Sunday? We could give the littles their next swimming lesson and when they're down for their naps, maybe you wouldn't mind spending a little time working on Grace's swim strokes with her? She was saying that she tends to do better in swim club if she's recently spent some time in the water with you. You'll probably look like a prune by the end of the weekend, huh, babe?"

"I don't mind, Danny. Yeah, that schedule works. Man, how do you suppose other parents do this? It takes all three of us to keep all these kids in play with their activities, Grace's school work, making sure they get fed, and bathed, and everything."

"Yeah, man, my ma always said it takes a village to raise a child. We're lucky we've got the Ohana we do. Yes, stop smirking you big goof, I will acknowledge that I said Ohana."

"Pretty soon, Danny, pretty soon. You're going to be speaking Pidgin before you know it!"

"Steven. That is never going to happen."


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: Loving all the comments, faves and follows! You guys really are the best. Here's some more of Ohana fun times. Hope you enjoy!**

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Danny, Steve and Charlie arrived at the field early. They greeted their players and parents as they arrived for the game. Charlie was playing second base and Steve was giving him and a couple of the other kids a little pep talk. Danny was just returning from a trip to his car and overheard a couple of the moms.

"Well, they're always together. They don't even arrive in different cars."

"I know, but Charlie's mom comes to the practices a lot too."

"But, they live together! In the same house! She lives in her own house. The kids seem to float between houses kind of willy-nilly. I just can't figure out the relationship. Are they together? Is one of them dating Charlie's mom?"

"Well, what difference does it make to you, Claire? Does it really matter?"

"They're Michael's coaches! Of course, it matters! I just want to be sure that there's nothing weird going on."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Claire. Stop being such a ridiculous person. The fact is you're just hoping that the Commander isn't gay because you want to make a play for him. Stop trying to pretend it has anything to do with your concern for Michael!"

"Monica! That's a horrible thing to say! Well, of course, I wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating crackers. Well, frankly, I wouldn't throw him out of bed for just about anything!"

At this the two moms dissolved into laughter and Danny hightailed it away from them.

"Hey, Danny, what's got you looking all gnarly-faced?"

"Gnarly-faced? Is that even a word? What are you talking about? Yeah, kids, get out there and pair up and start tossing the ball back and forth. Michael! Be gentle, you almost took Carly's head off last week!"

"Yeah, Danny, gnarly-faced. Bugged. Bothered."

"Fine, I just overheard Michael and Ron's moms talking about us. Whether or not we're, ya know, together."

"Oh, god. That again? It never stops. The supermarket clerk. The pastor at Church. Other cops at HPD. Now at tee ball. At least we haven't had to worry about it at hula class yet."

"Very funny, Steven. It never bothers you, does it? Those kind of rumors?"

"Danny, people are gonna think what they want to think. People always speculate about other people. What do we care? The only time I worry about someone's sexual orientation is if I want to sleep with the person myself. Otherwise, I don't think it's anybody's business and it certainly doesn't affect anyone's ability to raise a child. Now that Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been repealed, I don't even have to worry about it as far as the Navy is concerned."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good point, babe. Ron! Stop that! Get off of him right now!"

Danny sprinted to where one little boy was trying to make another eat dirt.

Steve looked after his partner and reflected on how lucky he had been since coming back to Hawaii. His family may be extremely unorthodox, but they thought exactly like he did on all the important issues.

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The Five-O Falcons had just finished another tee ball game. The rule in their league was that there was no score kept. This was just a way to get the kids interested in baseball and see if they would continue with the sport. Charlie loved tee ball! The most important part about it for him was that he was able to spend time with Danny and Steve. Anything he had to do to accomplish that was fine with him.

Rachel, Grace, and Joan were all in the stands today. That was a rare occasion since Grace and Joan usually had activities of their own they were involved in. Grace had Cheer, Swim Club, and Tennis. Joan had hula class and Rachel had signed them up at the library for the Mommy and Me reading group, which they both loved. Rachel had told Steve about a tumbling group she had stumbled across and he was beginning to look into that as well.

Charlie was really proud of himself. He had managed to cross home plate twice! He loved it when he got to high five Danno and Uncle Steve. He was helping Danny put the bats in the bat bag, and Steve was talking with some of the moms and dads about when and where their next practice would be.

Rachel was still in the stands talking with a couple of the other women and Grace and Joan were heading across the field toward where Danny and Charlie were. Joan yelped loudly and started to cry. Grace reached out and picked her up and hurried away from where they had been. Danny looked over at them.

"What's that all about Monkey?"

"Joan just got stung by a bee, Danno."

"Ah, crap. Okay Kitten, it's okay, just a little bee sting. Monkey, go see if your Mom has any ice on her, okay? Hey, Steven! Joanie just got a bee sting."

Steve excused himself from the people he was talking to and jogged over to where Danny sat on the bench with Joan on his lap. She was down to just sniffling a little.

"Sorry to hear that you got stung, baby. Hey, here comes Grace with an ice pack." Steve was looking across the field at Grace.

"Perfect. I'll tell you, Rach is always prepared. Hey, what's going on, Joanie, Joanie!"

Danny started out calmly, but as he ended he was sounding frantic. Steve's head whipped around and he noticed that Joan was starting to wheeze and have difficulty breathing.

"Hell! She must be allergic!"

He picked up the phone and called 9-1-1 right away and requested an immediate ambulance.

Rachel saw the commotion and heard Steve's declaration. Her head whipped around as she scanned the parking lot. She saw what she was looking for and she sprinted after one of the other moms.

"Camille! Camille! Do you have Dylan's epi pen with you?"

"Oh gosh, yes, I do, Rachel, do you need it? Let me get it."

The woman began digging through her handbag and located the epi-pen and handed it to Rachel who immediately ran full out for where Joan was.

She skidded to a stop in front of Steve.

"Here, Steve. This should do it."

Dylan's mom had run up behind them and immediately took the epi-pen out of Steve's shaking hands and administered the shot into Joan's thigh and began rubbing it in.

Immediately, Joan's breathing started to ease and the blueish tint she had been getting to her lips began to recede.

"Holy crap." Danny quietly said.

"You can say that again, partner. I never thought that she might be allergic to anything. She's always so healthy."

Steve had that panicked look he only got when something was going wrong with one of the children.

"Well, here's the ambulance. I think we should get her to the ER and have them get a look at her to be sure everything is all right, don't you think so, Steve?" Rachel put in.

"Yeah, yeah, Rachel that's a good idea."

Rachel looked at Danny and then nodded her head toward Steve. Danny nodded back at her. He explained what had happened to the paramedics who began to prepare Joan for transport. He then put a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You ride with her to the hospital. Rachel is going to take Grace and Charlie home with her. I'll meet you and Joan at the hospital, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Steve got settled in the ambulance with Joan. Rather than looking frightened, she looked kind of excited about all the attention and began chatting with the paramedic about the "giant bee" that had attacked her. Steve let the little girls' chatter wash over him in waves. They pulled up to the hospital with Danny's Camaro right behind them.

Steve and Danny both spoke with the doctor in the ER, who released Joan with an epi pen prescription. Steve felt Danny's calm presence grounding him and he was able to release the adrenaline rush he had experienced when he first realized Joan was having a problem.

When they had finished at the hospital, Danny, Steve, and Joan drove over to Rachel's. Rachel met them at the door and scooped Joan out of Steve's arms and walked ahead of them into the kitchen. She got Joan settled into her place at the table and began putting cupcakes out for everyone.

"I was so rattled when we got home, that I just made up a batch of these. They're Joanie's favorite, carrot cake cupcakes. I think she likes the way they sound."

"Mmmmmm. I beg to differ. I think she likes the way they taste!" Exclaimed Danny happily. He had already wolfed down two.

Danny was checking to see if there were any extras. Charlie wrapped his hands protectively around his cupcake plate and narrowed his eyes at Danny.

"Ha! Don't worry, Tiger. I won't steal your cupcake. I bet your Mom made plenty extra!"

"Well, actually Danny, I only made one batch, so you'd better enjoy what you have. Steve, would it be all right if I made an appointment for Joan with the pediatrician for Monday? I think they should run a full allergy spectrum on her just so we will know what we need to be cautious of. I also want to have her issue enough epi pen prescriptions so that we each are able to have a couple with us at all times."

"That would be great, Rachel. Thanks. I really would appreciate you doing that."

Rachel gave Steve the once over and realized that he was still feeling a little rattled, so she slid another cupcake onto his plate.

"Hey! I see you playing favorites there, babe. First Charlie and now Steven. What does a guy have to do around here in order to get some extra cupcakes?"

"Oh, Danny." Rachel laughed out. "Here, you may have the last cupcake."

Danny nudged Charlie.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Tiger. Never be afraid to tell someone what you want."

Charlie looked at Danny for a minute. Then he smiled a huge grin at him and said.

"May I please have your cupcake, Danno?"

Danny groaned and flopped his head on the table as he pushed his cupcake plate toward Charlie.

"Poor Danny. How you suffer." Steve was back to laughing at his family's hijinks.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

**A/N: I am going to take a little break in this story for the next few weeks. I have more to come, but I want to see what the actual show ends up doing! Always willing to give your story ideas a listen. They may not always fit my plan, but they might work with another plan. Thanks!**


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Apparently this story has me in a tighter grip than I thought. Despite my plan to take a couple of weeks off, I watched the show Friday night and this story would not leave me alone. So, I may post here and there over the next couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy this story and believe me, your comments definitely help to keep the creative juices flowing! :)**

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**Episode Tag to 5X22. Ho'amoano. What's on Danny's mind after the case?**

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Steve startled awake. He listened to the sounds of the house, but didn't hear anything out of place. He rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, but he was still disturbed. It was 3:00 am. Something was out of place, he just couldn't tell what it was.

He got up and threw on a tee shirt over his sleep pants. He ventured out into the hallway. First he opened Joan's door. She was sleeping soundly in her crib, her blond hair tousled and her chubby little arms thrown wide. She looked very peaceful.

Next he opened the door to Gracie's room. She was sleeping quietly, on her side, and the book she had been reading had fallen to the floor next to the bed. Steve smiled softly, reached over and took her flashlight, switched it off and put it on her nightstand.

Closing her door, he proceeded to Danny's room, which was empty. That wasn't entirely unusual for his partner. He would occasionally find him sleeping on the couch. But, Danny wasn't there either. Steve headed to the lanai and looked out over the beach. He saw Danny's blond head peeking over the wooden Adirondack chair he was sitting in by the shoreline.

Steve grabbed two bottles of water and headed over to his friend. He dropped into the other chair and handed Danny the bottle of water.

"Couldn't sleep buddy? Something on your mind?"

Danny took the bottle of water and nodded at Steve.

"Sorry if I woke you up."

"Not a problem. I wasn't even sure what woke me up. But, once I was awake I needed to check around and see that everything was okay and I noticed you sitting out here. What's the matter, Danny?"

There was a long silence and then Danny looked over at Steve. His handsome face was pensive and a little worried.

"Man, that case today really got to me. Bad enough that girl was dead, but you want to know what really scared me, Steve?"

"Sure, man. What?"

"Those college girls today, Steve. I am so afraid that I am going to screw everything up with Grace. I mean, those girls all have parents that love them. Raised them right. Pay a fortune to send them to college. And there they were on Spring break. Drinking, drugs, half naked, letting guys they barely know drool all over them and probably worse. In five years Grace is going to be old enough to be…to be doing that? How do I stop her?"

Steve took a deep breath. He had only been half kidding when he told Danny that he wanted Grace to get her degree from an online college. It scared him to death to think that Grace would be doing the things those kids were doing or that she would end up like Rebecca, their dead college student. But, he knew that Danny needed his reassurances right now, not for him to join in dreaming up terrible 'what if' scenarios.

"I don't know, Danny, but here's the thing. You and Rachel and our Ohana are all raising Grace right. Right? She is a really sensible kid and she seems to make really good choices. I think all that you can do is give her the best training that you can and hope that it's enough."

Danny sighed. The reassurance wasn't nearly enough, but it would have to do.

"Thanks, man. I know she's a good kid."

"Wait, Danny, I wasn't finished. You do all that, and then we pay really careful attention to any boy she brings around and make sure he knows what's going to happen to him if he steps a toe out of line with that girl."

Danny grinned at his friend.

"Thanks, buddy. That's more along the lines of the kind of help I'm looking for. I cannot tell you how seriously worried I get about Grace being involved in any of the dangers for a girl her age these days. Drinking, drugs, sex. God, I'm going to give myself a panic attack just thinking about all of it."

Steve leaned over and put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Babe. Stop thinking. She's not even thirteen yet. Give her a chance to grow up. We'll keep planting the best lessons we can. We keep an eye on her. We don't let her go too wild. Besides that, Rachel has a really good head on her shoulders and she's going to keep Grace in line too, right?"

"Yeah. I never thought I'd be saying this, but thank God for Rachel. We may not have been able to have a good marriage, but man she is awesome raising Grace. And Charlie."

"And Joan." Steve quietly put in. "You're pretty awesome yourself, Danny. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for Rachel, and you. I don't know that there is any way I would have been able to keep Joan if it weren't for you guys helping me out every time I turn around."

The men sat in silence for a few minutes, and Steve felt he had to add to what he had told Danny.

"Danny, don't forget that Grace also had that experience with Stan. That really brought home to her, in a way that a lecture just wouldn't, how very bad drugs are. When she realized that all of the changes in Stan were due to a drug addiction, I have a feeling that's something she'll never be involved in. The rest of it, you're going to just have to trust that you have given her enough of a grounding that she makes good choices."

"Man, I don't know how my Mom and Dad did it with the four of us. I just have Grace, well and Charlie and Joan too now, but I can't believe we all turned out…well, I guess we all didn't make good choices anyway, did we?"

"Danny. Stop. Let it go. Matt made the choices he did and they led him to a bad place and bad end. There's nothing you could have changed about that. Don't you worry. Grace isn't going to be anything like that. You can already tell what kind of adult she is going to be, Danny. She's going to be like you and like Rachel. Frankly, I think she is going to be stronger than the two of you put together."

"I like the way you think, buddy. I sure hope it's true."

"Danny, I told you a long time ago that Grace was scrappy, stubborn, hard-headed, and loyal to a fault. But, what I also told you that day is that she is you. And she is. She has so much of you in her that I don't think there's any way she is ever going to let some guy drool all over her, let alone anything else. She has too much pride in herself for that. That's something you gave her and something she will always have. Plus, she'll always have us, the whole Ohana looking out for her."

Danny breathed out a long sigh and silently nodded. He once again thanked whatever fate had sent him to John McGarrett's house at the exact same time Steve had been there five years ago. He didn't think he would have survived on this island without this man who had become his very best friend in the world.

"Come on, Danny. Come back in and go to bed. Maybe we can figure out a way to home school Gracie for college."

Danny laughed at that. He stood up, reached over and gave Steve a one armed hug.

"Thanks, buddy. I don't usually get scared awake by my fears, but it's nice to know when I do, you're there for me."

"Always, Danny. I'll always be there for you."

The two men trudged back in the house and hoped to get a few more hours of sleep before their day started.


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: It appears I may be incapable of staying away from this story. Here's another chapter!**

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**Steve has a new assignment. How will he handle it?**

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"All right, you know the timetable, right?"

"Yes, Danny. I have the timetable all set. You have gone over it with me twenty times." Steve was feeling a little testy. No one could blame him though. Danny was overly worried, in his opinion.

"You have a contingency plan if there are any emergencies, correct?"

"Yes, Danny. First I call Chin, then Kono. If all else fails, I contact Kamekona. I told you. I already put them all on alert."

"All right. I'm sure everything will go just fine. There's not a thing to worry about."

"Then stop worrying, buddy! I got this."

Steve was trying to reassure Danny, but this was a first time for him and he had to admit, at least to himself, he was a little nervous.

"All right. It won't be long. A couple of hours at most. You can do this, Steven."

"For heaven's sake, Daniel. Everything will be fine. Steven is quite capable of handling things. We are going to be quite late if we don't leave right this minute."

Steve looked over at the door where Rachel was waiting for Danny.

The three kids were ranged right next to Steve, all of them waving good-bye to Danny and Rachel.

"Okay, you hooligans behave for Uncle Steve, you understand? You have to make this easy for him or he might never let us go to another parent-teacher conference together ever again."

"Go, Danny. Everything here will be fine." Steve huffed out in exasperation.

Danny grinned and sauntered out the door. Steve knew he had been looking forward to meeting with Grace's teachers for the last month. This was something he had previously been excluded from before when Rachel and Stan had been living together on the island. He had only been allowed to participate once they moved to Las Vegas.

With Rachel's return, she and Danny had agreed to attend the parent-teacher conference together in a show of familial support for Grace. That left Steve babysitting all three of the children. At once. For the first time. Alone.

Both Kono and Chin had volunteered to come over and help, but Steve insisted that he could handle it. Danny reminded him several times of the "crayon up the nose" incident, but at Steve's pout, he finally decided to let it drop.

Danny did take a moment to pull Grace aside and remind her that she was almost 13 now and that both he and her mother expected her to be helping Uncle Steve with the little ones. He also made sure that her cell phone was fully charged and operational, just in case.

As soon as Rachel and Danny were out the door, Steve decided to put his 'Operation Keep Kids Entertained' plan into effect.

"Okay, kids, how about if we put on some cartoons?" Steve clapped his hands together and looked at the children hopefully.

"Um, Uncle Steve? I think you're supposed to be making dinner for us?" Grace looked expectantly at him.

"That's right! I knew that! What do you guys want? I could grill some steaks."

Joanie wrinkled up her nose and shook her head. She wasn't a big meat eater and Steve knew it.

"How about chicken?"

"We had chicken last night, Unca Steve." Charlie responded.

Steve went to the fridge and started sorting through it.

"I could make us some green smoothies."

The gagging behind him told him what Grace, at least, thought of that idea.

"Ooookay. So, I don't have a lot of choices in the fridge here. How about I order Chinese?"

"I don't like Chinese." That was Charlie.

"How about pizza?" Steve was starting to sound desperate.

"No." Joanie responded. No reason. Just a flat no, and Steve knew his niece. Once she decided she was against something that was it. At least for that day. Tomorrow she would be thrilled to have pizza. Today, it was out.

"How about macaroni and cheese and hot dogs?" Suggested Grace.

'Blech' thought Steve to himself. He started to veto it, but stopped when both Charlie and Joanie were cheering enthusiastically at the choice.

"Traitors." He muttered at the two littles.

"What's a traitor, Unca Steve." Asked a confused Charlie.

"Never mind." Sighed his uncle in response.

"Okay, do we even have macaroni and cheese?"

Grace pulled the box out of the pantry.

"Danno always makes sure to buy a couple of boxes every time we go to the grocery store, Uncle Steve."

"Well, what about hot dogs, there aren't any in the fridge."

Grace walked out to the freezer in the garage and brought in a package of frozen hot dogs and frozen buns.

"Danno always keeps a couple of packages in the freezer, just in case."

"It's a good thing we have Danno isn't it, Grace?" Steve smiled at her.

Grace looked around the kitchen, immediately noticing that her uncle was now the only occupant. She had only been gone for a couple of minutes.

"Hey, where are the littles?" Grace worriedly questioned Steve.

Steve looked around but no sign of the little ones. They had been standing there a minute ago. He heard a flush from upstairs and he grinned at Grace again.

"They were just going potty. Nothing to worry about. Why don't you go round them up Gracie?"

Grace headed into the living room just as Joanie and Charlie came back downstairs. Joanie's outfit was pretty wet and Charlie was wet up to his elbows.

"What were you guys doing?" Grace asked them.

"Just flushing the potty" replied Charlie innocently.

Grace looked at him and put her foot on the stairs to go check things out when Steve called to her from the kitchen.

"Grace! How long do I cook these hot dogs for?"

Grace headed into the kitchen to help her uncle. She knew he was a brilliant man and had been active in Naval Intelligence and ran the Five-0 task force efficiently, but he was absolutely useless in the kitchen, as Danny pointed out as often as he could.

Grace helped Steve make the hot dogs and the macaroni and cheese and she marched the littles into the laundry room and got them out of their wet clothes and into clean, dry pajamas that she had just helped Leila fold on top of the dryer that afternoon.

She figured that they weren't going anywhere, so it was just as well to get the little ones into the dry pajamas, settle down to have dinner and then watch TV afterward. It would make it a lot easier to get them into bed later.

They had just finished dinner and Grace and Steve were clearing off the table. Charlie and Joanie had headed into the living room to turn on the television, but Charlie came running back into the kitchen with his eyes very wide.

He grabbed Gracie's hand and started pulling her after him.

"There's water on the stairs." He whispered.

Steve overheard them and grinned at how nervous Charlie seemed about getting in trouble for a little water spill.

"What did you guys spill a little water on the stairway, Charlie? That's nothing to worry about. You know, you can always tell me stuff like that. I won't be mad."

He followed the kids out of the kitchen. What he saw made his eyes bulge out of his head.

"Holy crap, what happened?"

There was a stream of water trickling down the stairway and pooling at the bottom of the stairs, and flowing into the living room.

"'Member you said you won't be mad, Unca Steve." Charlie nervously reminded him.

Steve raced upstairs into the bathroom at the end of the hallway. The toilet was overflowing and because there was a slight slant to the floor of the old house, the water was just running out of the room, down the hall and down the stairway.

Steve was busy trying to find the water shutoff, swearing the whole time, with three pairs of wide eyes staring at him. He finally got the water turned off and heaved a sigh of relief.

He whipped around and looked at the kids.

"All right, what did you guys do?"

"Nuffin, Unca Steve, really!"

"Nuffin, Unca S'eve. We just flushed the potty. Um, wif my Polly Pockets in it."

"Whaaaat!" Steve gaped at the little girl.

"I told ya she wouldn't go all the way out." Charlie said to Joan.

"Yeah. I guess she stuck." The little girl responded sadly.

Steve was completely red-faced and trying very hard not to blow a gasket. He looked over at Grace who was just putting her cell phone back in her pocket.

"Oh Good God! Please tell me you didn't call your father back from the parent-teacher conference!"

"No, I didn't Uncle Steve. But, you're going to need help. So, I called Uncle Chin."

Steve dropped his head. Any hope he had of getting this all cleaned up and everything put back together before Danny found out was now out the window.

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"Okay, Steve. That should do it."

Chin grinned at his flustered friend. Grace had done such a good job describing the disaster on the phone that Chin had brought over his wet-dry vac and a variety of plumbing tools to work on the pipes.

The water had been running all through the time that they cooked and then ate dinner, so there had been an extensive amount of water to clean up. Chin reassured Steve that he didn't think the wood floors had been too damaged. They might have to be polished, but it wasn't something that had to be handled immediately.

They had removed the bedraggled Polly Pockets from the pipe where she had gotten stuck. Steve told a sad Joan that the doll was now just too damaged to keep and they would have to throw it out. The truth was he never wanted to see that evil little doll again.

He and Chin had just gotten done putting all the equipment away, when the door opened and Danny and Rachel walked in, concerned that Chin's car was in the driveway. Chin quickly explained what had happened before the parents could get too worried. Danny took one look at Steve's forlorn expression and burst out laughing.

"Makes you wish for command of a battleship instead of three little kids, doesn't it, buddy? That would definitely be easier."

They were all settled on the various couches and chairs in the living room. Joanie looked at Rachel for a minute and then asked her.

"Auntie Wach? What's a sumovabeach?"

Steve groaned and buried his head in his hands, while Danny, Chin and Rachel erupted in laughter.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Here's a few more chapters before Friday night's double-header!**

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**Grace tries to grow up a little too quickly for her parents and Uncle Steve.**

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**I was really bothered by the Valentine's Day episode where Grace lied to Danny. I understand that. Normal teenage (almost) behavior. What bothered me that Danny was all kinds of okay with it. Danny? Really? I don't think so - so, this story was born.**

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Grace was chatting excitedly with Danny as they headed off the beach to the Camaro. Steve had driven his own vehicle to see Kono off on her wa'a adventure.

"Aunty Kono is so cool to be doing that all by herself, Danno! I can't wait until I'm old enough to do that, but I'm not going to wait as long as Aunty Kono did!"

"You what? What are you talking about? Bad enough you've managed to talk me into letting you surf, Monkey. There's no way I would let you take a piece of driftwood and pilot it around these islands. Do you think I'm already senile?"

"I'm not talking about doing that now, Danno." Grace rolled her eyes at her father. "When I'm 18!"

"When you're 18? When you're 18, you will be safely in college diligently studying to be a Marine Biologist."

"Well, I don't know what college I'll be going to or what I'll be studying when I'm 18 Danno, but I bet you the summer before school starts, when I'm 18, I'll be doing the island tour like Aunty Kono."

The words lay between them for a while. Then, Danny decided it wouldn't hurt to placate his little girl for a bit.

"I'll tell you what, Monkey. No sense arguing about it for the next few years. Let's re-visit the subject the summer when you're 17 and see how we both feel about it then, okay?"

"Okay, Danno." Sighed Grace.

She was well aware that when she was 17 her father would still consider her a baby. Also at 18, 28, 38, 48. She felt like she was never going to grow up. Lately, she was chafing at the restrictions that both her parents imposed on her. She wasn't a baby! She was almost 13 years old! She was beginning to hate the word 'baby!'

When they got back to the house, Danny's cell phone was already ringing. He got on the phone and started in on a conversation with Steve about a case that had just landed in the team's lap. Steve was keeping Danny updated, but didn't seem to feel he needed to come in right away.

Danny was happy about that. He really had been looking forward to spending some time alone with Grace. Rachel had both Joanie and Charlie for overnight. Lately, Grace had seemed somewhat sad and out of sorts. Danny wasn't sure what was troubling her, but he was hoping he could find out.

"Hey, Monkey! What do you want for dinner?"

"I dunno, Danno."

Grace came into the room. She was holding her cell phone in her hands. The cell phone that she was constantly texting on lately.

"I don't know that I'm really hungry yet."

"Well, Grace, you know you have to eat good so you have enough energy to keep up with your crazy schedule."

"I know, Danno!" Grace responded a little more sharply than she normally would.

"Grace! Don't take a tone with me, okay?"

Danny was pretty surprised that Grace was so snappy now after she had been so happy earlier.

"Sorry, Danno. Is it okay if we eat later? I want to study for a while in my room."

"Yeah, that's fine baby. Just let me know when you're ready to eat."

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'Baby!' There it was again. Her dad called her baby all the time! It would be fine with her if she never heard it again.

Grace headed for her room. She shut the door and checked the text she had just received. She was excited to see it was from Jason. He was an older boy at her school that had recently taken an interest in her. Her crush on Pone, her Valentine's Day ice cream date, had ended badly. Now she knew why they used the term "crush." Because that was how she felt when he made fun of her in front of some of the other boys and she overheard him.

She had been in the hallway and overheard one of his friends ask him if he had liked Grace, and he had responded that she was fine if you wanted to sit around and play pattycakes like a couple of babies, but he wanted more than that from a girl. She could still hear it when he said that Grace was just a baby. She had wanted the floor to open up and swallow her, but it didn't. Instead, Pone turned around and saw her standing there. For a minute, he looked surprised and embarrassed. Then he looked at the other boys and said, "just a big baby" and walked past Grace like she wasn't even there.

Shortly after that humiliating experience, she noticed Jason and some of his friends had been hanging around Cheer practice a couple of times. The coach usually told them to "get lost." Then, just a couple weeks later, he began showing up during her lunch period and would talk with her. He had recently started sitting at her table with her. She knew that her girlfriends thought he was really cute and it definitely reduced the sting of Pone's insult when this older boy was paying attention to her in front of everyone.

Although she found the attention flattering, Grace was pretty confused about how fast things changed in her social status, particularly with the boys. One minute she was a baby and the next one of the cool boys wanted to spend time in her company. She wished she could talk openly with her dad or her mom about what was going on, but she was afraid they would tell her she was a baby and that Jason was off limits, and her pride was just starting to recover after Pone's rejection.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

It was a couple of weeks after Kono's almost disastrous wa'a adventure. She had recovered well and Chin was almost ready to let her out of his sight again. Grace often overheard her Dad and Uncle Steve talking about how much differently all of that could have ended and she was grateful that her Aunty was okay.

Things had settled back into a normal routine. Rachel had picked up Charlie and Joan from Wee Care Day Care. She had the two littles strapped into the back of her car and was in line at Sacred Heart Academy waiting to pick up Grace. The bell rang and children began streaming out of the building. No Grace. After a few minutes, the line of cars had dwindled and only a few students were left milling around on the front steps and Grace still hadn't arrived.

Rachel saw one of Grace's teachers and waved her over.

"Mrs. Milton, have you seen Grace?"

"She was in class this morning, Mrs. Edwards. I don't recall seeing her when the children were dismissed. Although there are so many children at dismissal, it's easy to miss some of them. Grace is usually one of the quieter children, so she doesn't stand out as much as some of them, if you know what I mean."

"Thank you, Mrs. Milton."

Just then, Rachel's phone vibrated with a text alert. It was from Grace.

'Mom - went home with Carolyn and her mom. We are going to study this afternoon. They'll drive me home.'

Rachel pursed her lips. She was not happy with this new approach Grace was starting to take. She recalled how on Valentine's Day, Grace had sent a text to Danny that she was studying with one of her friends and it turned out she had been having ice cream with a boy she liked.

Rachel had actually been surprised that Danny had not been angrier with Grace and there was no punishment meted out. She knew her ex-husband well and she realized that Danny was sad that his little girl was growing up so fast and was having a hard time disciplining her.

Rachel sighed to herself. She felt the same way, but Grace was just turning 13. They couldn't let her start lying to them or sneaking around. If they lost control of her this early, her teenage years were going to be a nightmare for all of them.

With her resolve firmly in place, Rachel started the car and called over her shoulder to the littles.

"We're just going to Carolyn's house for a minute. I want to make sure Grace has everything she needs for studying."

"Okay, mommy."

"K, Auntie Wach."

Rachel smiled and piloted the car to Carolyn's house, which was thankfully close.

* * *

She got the littles out of the car and they rang the doorbell. After a few minutes, Carolyn's mom Sue answered the door. She was a pretty redhead, a little older than Rachel.

"Oh, Rachel! How nice to see you! I wasn't expecting you. Did you bring Grace to play with Carolyn?"

"What? Sue, I thought Grace was already here! She texted me she was coming here after school."

"No, she's not here. Carolyn! Carolyn! Come down here for a minute, please?"

Sue had called upstairs and her daughter came running down the stairs. Carolyn was a good friend of Grace's. They had many classes at Sacred Heart together and she was on Grace's Cheer squad.

"What's up, Mom? Oh! Hi, Mrs. Edwards."

Carolyn was blushing and looking everywhere but at Rachel.

Rachel and Sue exchanged glances. Since they had been teenage girls themselves, they were quite suspicious as to what the look meant.

"Carolyn. Grace said she was coming home with you today. Do you know where she went? If you do, you had best tell Mrs. Edwards right now."

"I don't know exactly where she went. She told me she was going to text you she was coming here. I know that was wrong. I'm sorry, Mrs. Edwards."

"Carolyn, it's fine. But, I really need to know where Grace is or who she is with."

"Well, I don't know where they went. But, I think she and that boy she likes, Jason, might have gone somewhere."

'Jason?' Rachel thought to herself. 'That isn't the same boy from Valentine's Day.' She said as much to Carolyn and Sue.

"No, that other boy didn't want to hang around with Grace anymore. He told her she was too babyish. She was really upset for a while. But, then Jason started talking to her at lunch and walking with her between classes and she seems to like him. I don't….I don't hang around with them that much."

Sue had gestured to Rachel to come into the house and they had all taken seats in the living room. Rachel had Joanie on her lap and Charlie was sitting next to her. The two littles had sensed something important was going on, so they were sitting quietly for a change.

"Why don't you hang around with them, Carolyn?" Her mom asked.

"Well, he's nice enough, I guess, but he's two years ahead of us. He just seems a little, I dunno, too grown up I guess."

Rachel smiled slightly when she thought of a 15 year old boy as being classified as a grown up. Her smile fled at Carolyn's next words.

"He was actually held back a year too. So, I think he's like 16 going on 17. He even drives. Like I said, he's nice, but he talks about staying out at night, and bonfires, and sometimes…." Carolyn swallowed heavily. She knew she was betraying Grace's trust, but she felt like her friend might be playing with fire.

"Sometimes he talks about how he and his friends hang around on the beach, drinking."

"What?" Rachel said. She stared at Carolyn, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Well, that's what he talks about Mrs. Edwards. I don't know if Grace has tried it or not. She really hasn't had much time for me since she started hanging around with Jason so much. Pone really hurt her feelings when he said she was babyish, and I think she's trying to act older now. But, until today, they only hung out together at school."

Rachel and Sue exchanged glances.

"All right, Carolyn. Why don't you take Charlie and Joan into the den and let Mrs. Edwards and I talk for a little bit."

Carolyn was relieved to be let off the hook so easily and herded the two little kids out of the room.

"Oh, good grief, Sue. I thought we had a few years before we had to worry about alcohol and drugs with the girls."

"Me too, Rachel. But, God, once you add boys into the mix, it's hard to avoid. I remember what it was like being that age, and I know that I had my first beer with a boy at a party when I was 15. How old were you?"

"16." Rachel sighed. "I really thought I had a few more years before I had to worry about this. I hate to ask, but do you mind if I leave the little ones here for a couple of hours? I'm going to have to get Grace's father, and I would prefer not to have to waste the time taking the other children home."

"No problem, Rachel. They can stay as long as you need. Just let me know when you're on the way to pick them up and I'll have them ready. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this, but I know that I'm going to end up not too far behind you. My mother was right. Girls should be locked in a convent until they're 23."

Rachel laughed because her own mother had said something very similar. Then she sighed deeply as she considered the phone call she was about to make.


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: Once again, thanks for all the amazing comments. I even made some tweaks to the story based on them! **

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**How does Rachel break the news to Danny?**

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"McGarrett!" Steve answered his cell phone in his office.

"Steven, is Daniel anywhere near you?"

Steve looked at his phone in puzzlement for a minute.

"No, Rachel, he's in his own office. Something up?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I need to teach a young girl a lesson, without having her father kill the young man involved."

At Rachel's words, Steve shot to his feet in concern. There better not be some "young man" causing problems for his niece. He had plenty of places to hide a body.

"That doesn't sound good. What's up with Gracie?"

Steve's brow knitted as he listened to Rachel's explanation.

"Wow. That doesn't sound like Gracie at all. I'm not doubting you, Rachel. I'm just surprised. Look, I'll run a trace on her cell phone. Once we get a lock on it, Danny and I will meet you and we'll go get her. I'll explain it to him, and calm him down, on the way to get you. Don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine."

Steve hung up the phone, ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He actually wasn't too sure that it would be fine, especially given Danny's temper and protectiveness when it came to Grace, but they'd deal with whatever they had to. It was well past time to get on the Smart Table and figure out where Grace was and then he'd have to ignite Hurricane Danny and get them on their way.

He stood up from his desk and headed over to the main room waving Chin over to join him.

Danny looked up from his paperwork and saw Steve and Chin engrossed in something on the screens. Lou had just joined them.

Whatever they were doing had to be a hell of a lot more interesting that the mountain of paperwork he was slogging his way through. So, he got up and sauntered into the main office.

"So, what are you guys up to? We get a case? Hey, isn't that Grace's cell phone number on the screen? Why are you tracing her phone? What the hell is going on?"

Steve knew at the best of times, Danny could go from peaceful to frantic in less than 60 seconds. It was closer to 5 seconds when it involved Grace or the other children.

"Danny. Take it easy. Everything's fine." Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder and held him in place. Although Danny was better since the amicable relationship had formed between himself and Rachel, he still could be an extremely volatile and angry person on his best day.

"Listen let's head for the car and I'll tell you where we're going."

Steve thought it might be best if the eruption occurred in a contained space. He turned Danny around and placed his hands between his shoulder blades to propel him forward.

"Chin. Keep me updated if there's any movement on that trace."

"You've got it, brah. Hey, Danny! Remember, we were all young once."

Danny looked back at Chin perplexedly, while Steve continued to gently guide him to the door.

"Don't hit him, man. He's still a juvie." Called out Lou behind him.

Danny looked at Steve, who shook his head and continued to guide Danny out of the building. Danny knew Steve well enough to know he wasn't going to get anything out of him until they were underway.

Once they were settled in the car, Danny looked at Steve expectantly as he piloted the car through traffic. He was trying to keep from blowing a gasket and hoped his friend would get to the point soon.

"Okay, Danny, it's like this. See, Rachel called. Seems Gracie has become enamored of a boy in her school and she told Rachel another one of her little stories about studying in order to go off with him. The problem is this kid is a little older than Gracie and according to one of Gracie's friends, he is already drinking."

As he expected, Danny erupted.

"Holy mother of God! What the hell is she thinking! Drinking, Drinking! If I find out some little asshole has given Grace even one drop of alcohol, I am going to kill someone."

Steve thought the rant was just beginning and he was prepared to settle in for the long haul, but then he watched as Danny stopped talking and visibly managed to get a grip on himself. As he did, he deflated a little.

"I know I should have landed harder on her with that Valentine's Day lie. Now, she's gonna think it's okay to lie to us. Where did my baby girl go?"

"Danny, Danny, Danny. She's still your baby girl, man. We've got to give her some room to spread her wings, but we also have to clip them when she's out of line, like right now. Let's go get Rachel and find out what she's up to, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Danny sighed.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Grace was really nervous. She liked Jason and was flattered by his attention, but he seemed a lot older than she expected sometimes. Especially at times like right this minute. They were on the beach and he had just introduced her to his friends. There were three other boys and two girls. None of them went to her school.

The two girls had looked Grace up and down and she noticed one of them make a comment to the other and then they both started laughing. Grace flushed all the way to her hairline. She knew it was about her and she was sure it wasn't flattering.

"Nice Catholic schoolgirl outfit Grace." She thought the girls name was Allanah. She was a pretty blond. Well, pretty if you could overlook the sneer she had while she was looking at Grace that is.

"Yeah, maybe we should all see if we could get them, whattdya think Ryan?" said the other girl to one of the boys.

"I think you should shut up Danielle. Leave her alone, she's Jason's friend."

Ryan smiled over at Grace.

"Don't worry about them. They're always bitches."

Grace blushed again. She wasn't used to that kind of language.

Jason sat down next to her and smiled at her. He thought she was a nice girl, but he really liked her a lot better in her cheerleader outfit than in her school uniform. He figured he might have to spend a little more time with her before he could ask for her to wear that for him though.

He took the cap off two bottles of beer and handed one to Grace.

"Oh. No. Thanks. I don't drink, Jason."

At that the two girls began laughing hysterically.

"Maybe we can run and get you a glass of milk Grace. Or would you like juice?" This was from Allanah again.

Grace was beginning to get really uncomfortable. She liked Jason at school, but she wasn't sure about how he was behaving now, and she really, really didn't like his friends.

"Maybe you can take me back to Carolyn's house now, okay Jason? I told you I could only come for a little bit." Grace tremulously suggested.

The other girls began laughing harder.

"Oh my god, Jase. Why did you bring such a baby around? I can't believe you." Allanah again, this time with disgust.

"Look, Grace. I'll take you back. I just want to finish this beer okay? Then, I'll drive you back."

Grace looked and saw that Jason had already finished his beer and hers and had now started on a third.

"No, Jason. You said you would take me back whenever I wanted. But, you really shouldn't drink and drive."

"Holy crap, Jason! What are you, kid? A cop? Don't drink and drive? Who even says something like that?" This came from Danielle.

Grace felt tears start to prick at her eyes. She knew she was in way over her head and she had no way out of there if Jason wouldn't take her. She could call her Mom or Dad, but that idea scared her even more than staying. Maybe she could try Uncle Steve or Aunty Kono? Grace was her father's daughter though, and she was going to try and stand up for herself.

"My dad says stuff like that all the time. He's a cop."

"Ooooooooh. Grace's daddy is a cop. Maybe she'll get him to arrest all of us if you don't give her a ride home, Jason. Maybe he'll drag us all off to jail."

Just then shadows fell across the group of teens.

"There's no maybe about it, miss. Even if you're legal age, which I highly doubt, it is illegal to drink on this beach."

The teenagers all looked up at the new arrivals. There were two men and a woman, but the woman was standing well back from the men. The men were obviously both cops, badges on their belts and guns in their holsters. They both also looked very angry.

"Danno! Uncle Steve!"

Grace looked from one of them to other and was taken aback by the looks on their faces. Now she really didn't know what to do. While she knew she was rescued, she also was painfully aware she was in really big trouble.

"Grace Elizabeth Williams. I do not want one word from you. Go stand over there with your mother, right this minute."

Danny bit the words out one by one. His face was tense and his hands were in fists by his side.

Grace had never heard her Danno sound like that. He was really, really angry. He was really, really angry at HER! In all the times that Grace had seen her father angry, that anger had never been directed her way. She swallowed hard at the realization of how severely she had disappointed him.

Despite that, she also hurriedly picked herself up off the blanket and hustled over to her Mom as fast as she could. She had tears running down her face in relief. Rachel just put her arms around Grace and hugged her. She then turned her and started walking her to the car. All she wanted right now was to get them back home.

As soon as Rachel and Grace were out of sight, Danny whirled around, cocked his fist and started to advance on the group of kids.

"Which one of you little assholes is Jason?"

The other three boys all pointed at a very drunk, very frightened Jason, who immediately started stuttering a defense.

"I didn't know her dad was a cop, man. I wouldn't have bothered with her, if I knew that."

"Is that right, you little punk?"

Danny quickly lunged forward and it looked like he was about to grab Jason by the throat, but was intercepted at the last minute by a flying tackle from Steve. They wrestled on the ground for a couple of minutes and Steve caught a couple hard swings from Danny but was finally able to subdue him.

"Bring it back in, Danny. Settle down. I'm not going to let you beat on this kid. You would be in so much trouble. He is totally not worth it."

"All right, let me up. I'm good. Let me up."

Steve released his friend and helped him to his feet. He put his hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Look, buddy. Go to the car with Rachel and Grace. I've got this, I'll handle it. You guys go pick up the littles and I'll meet you at Rachel's in a little bit, okay?"

Danny stood hunched over for a minute, breathing heavily, his hands on his knees. Breathing In and out, in and out. He was obviously struggling to regain control of his temper. He finally stood straight and threw a grateful look at Steve.

"Thanks, Steven. You're right, it would probably be better for numbnuts over there if you handle this. I'm good. I'll see you at Rachel's."

He turned and trudged through the sand to re-join his ex-wife and daughter.

"All right now, people. Let's see some ID's." With that, Steve gestured behind him, and the group on the beach saw the black and white's that had just pulled up. An older Hawaiian cop emerged from one and headed their direction.

"Duke, I want you to get these kids downtown. Don't book them, but call their parents to collect them. Explain to them that the next time we catch them drinking in public there will be arrests made. Leave this one here for a minute and come back for him, okay?" With that, Steve gestured at Jason.

Duke gestured behind him for the other officers and they led the three boys and two girls away. One of the girls was crying, smearing eye make-up all over her face.

"My Mom's going to kill me!" she was wailing as she was being led away.

Steve looked at the drunk young man.

"All right, kid. You have no idea how very lucky you are. If Grace's dad had gotten his hands on you, there wouldn't be enough of you left to turn over to your parents. I know you are too drunk to retain this right now, so I will be re-visiting this subject with your parents in attendance. The long and short of it is, stay away from Grace Williams. She is too young for you and you are to give her a wide berth in school. I'll be seeing you and your parents in just a little bit."

Steve then nodded at Duke who led the young man away.

Steve headed back to 5-0 headquarters.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: Once again, you guys are the best. Love the comments! Sue2556, the whole section of what happens to the other kids is actually a result of your comment! Never know where the story will go!**

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**A/N: I'm so excited for the two hour H5-0 tomorrow night! I can't wait to see what they do and I hope they give me a lot of story fodder for the summer months. :)**

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Grace sat in the back seat of her Mom's car and alternated her glance between her parents. First her Dad, then her Mom, then her Dad again. They weren't talking, to each other, or to her. Her Mom left her in the car with her Dad when he pulled up in front of Carolyn's house and she went to get the littles.

"I'm sorry, Danno." She whispered.

"I know you are Grace. I'm sorry too. I'm angry with myself that I didn't take a firmer stance with you when you lied to me last time. And don't give me any lip that you didn't lie to me this time that you lied to your Mom. A lie to either of us is a lie to both of us. We deserve better than that from you, Monkey."

Grace breathed a sigh of relief. Monkey! If he called her Monkey he still loved her!

Danny eyed her in the rear view mirror.

"Grace. What do I always tell you?"

"That you love me Danno."

"And I do. And I always will. Nothing you can do can change that. But, even if I love you, you can still disappoint me with some of the choices that you make. This is one of those times."

Danny stopped talking when the door opened and Rachel buckled Joanie into the car seat on one side of Grace. She then walked around the car and buckled Charlie into the car seat on the other side. She got in the passenger seat of the car and fastened her own seat belt. Danny put the car into drive and pointed them toward Rachel's.

"Grace. Danny. I want to wait to talk about this until we get the littles home. They are used to having their nap immediately after we pick Grace up from school, so this has been a long afternoon for them."

"I'm sorry Mom."

"So, am I Grace, however, we are not discussing this further at this time."

When her Mom took that tone, Grace knew the conversation was over. She settled back into her seat and folded her hands in her lap. She felt the tears start to trickle down her cheeks again. She startled a little when Charlie reached over and put his hand over hers. She looked at her brother to see him smiling at her and holding her hand. Grace sighed and patted Charlie's hand and closed her eyes for the ride home.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

When Steve entered the main room, Kono, Chin and Lou were gathered around the Smart Table. The pictures of all the kids were up on the screens with all their personal information.

Kono looked up as Steve entered the room.

"Hey, boss. How's Danny and how's Grace?"

"The best I can say about Danny is at least he didn't mutilate anyone. As far as Gracie I think she is well aware of how much trouble she's in. Danny's really pissed."

"I tried to warn him it was just starting. He didn't want to listen to me. Now he knows. Every father's worst nightmare; the teenage years." Lou wasn't particularly happy to be proven right.

"Anyway, Steve." Kono continued as she grinned over at Lou. "Here's the info on our charming juvies. The only one who still goes to school is Jason. The other kids are drop-outs. They're all 16 or 17 years old. I spoke with Allanah's mother, and she said they just hang out at the beach all day drinking. She's been begging her to get a job or go back to school, but she says she just doesn't have any control over her. The good news is, other than being lazy drunks, that's about it. They don't seem to be into drugs. They don't seem to cause much trouble."

'Thank God for small favors.' Steve thought to himself.

"All right, listen up you guys. I think maybe we should take a few minutes and do our own version of scared straight. We might just be able to turn at least one of these kids' lives around. What do you say?"

"It's worth a try" responded Chin.

"I'm in" Lou said.

Kono chewed her lip for a few minutes, and finally nodded at him. She didn't really think it would do any good, but she was willing to give it a go.

Chin sat down with two of the boys, Carl and Martin, and their parents and spent some time outlining for them what the possible consequences could have been. Carl's mother and father pulled Chin aside afterward to thank him for taking the time to try and make an impression on his son, while Martin's father was angry and offended that Chin spoke with them like that. He was obviously one of those parents' whose child could do no wrong.

Lou sat down with Ryan and Danielle's parents. It turned out they were siblings. Ryan, like Jason, was 16 going on 17. Danielle would be 18 in three months. Their mother and father were deeply appreciative of Lou taking the time with them. Lou felt like he might have actually made an impression on Ryan, but Danielle seemed to be a pretty tough cookie. He figured she was going to give her folks all kinds of heartache in the years to come.

Kono took on Allanah and her mom. Allanah's mother was divorced and her father was completely out of the picture. The mother was trying to make ends meet by working two back to back waitressing jobs. She hated the fact that Allanah had dropped out of school, but she was so exhausted most of the time that she just couldn't deal with her.

Kono surprised herself by spending more time than she ever planned with the two of them. Under her extremely tough exterior, Allanah was actually a nice enough girl, but she just didn't see much of a future for herself and felt hopeless. By the end of their conversation, Allanah had agreed to return to school and Kono had promised to check in with them in three months. Before they left, she gave Allanah's mom her personal cell phone number and told her to call if she needed anything.

Steve had saved Jason for himself. Once he met them, he had actually found himself liking the boys' parents. The father was an accountant and the mother was a CNA. They had two younger children at home. They were furious with Jason but were floundering on what to say to him. Steve spent a few minutes speaking with the parents, then requested, and received, their permission to land hard on their child.

He opened the door to the conference room and ushered the parents in. Jason sat there, fairly sober and completely downcast. His parents sat on either side of him and Steve sat across from them.

"All right, kid. Here's the deal. You really picked the wrong girl to try and corrupt today."

"Corrupt, I didn't try to…" Jason stopped when his father gripped his wrist and quietly told him to shut up and listen.

"Jason, if you were even a year older than you are now, you would be a legal adult, and we would charge you with child endangerment at the very least. Grace Williams isn't even 13 yet and you're trying to get her to drink beer. If you did this as an adult, the court system would send you to jail. Is that what you want?"

"No." Jason sullenly replied.

His father gripped his arm again.

"No, what?" he practically hissed at his son.

"No, sir." Jason mumbled.

Steve had enough and barked at the boy as though he were a Naval recruit.

"Young man, you really need to pull your head out of your ass. I've looked at your school records. You're smart and get good grades. You could have a good future ahead of you, if you apply yourself and stop the boozing. You're not going to go very far if you end up with a record. You're especially not going to go very far if you end up with an incensed father intent on kicking your ass."

Jason turned white at that. He hadn't been so drunk that he hadn't read the intent in Grace's father's eyes before the man in front of him had knocked the detective to the ground. He was well aware he had just escaped a severe beating.

The four of them spent at least a half an hour together. Steve appreciated the fact that Jason's parents were allowing him to speak frankly to their son and as they emerged from the conference room, Jason's father stopped to shake his hand as his wife and their son proceeded down the corridor.

"Commander, I want to thank you for taking the time with Jason. He really is a good kid, but he has fallen in with a bad crowd of lazy, good for nothings. I think this has been a real wake-up call for him. Not many people in your position would have taken the time to speak as frankly to him as you have and I will always be grateful to you. Please give my apologies to Grace Williams' parents. You can assure them that Grace will have absolutely no further trouble from Jason or any of his friends."

After that the teammates spent a little time bringing each other up to speed on each of their juvenile offenders. Given the types of crimes they usually dealt with, they had been relieved that the outcome of their day with regard to Grace hadn't been too serious. They were also hopeful that they may have gotten through to at least a couple of the teenagers.

Everyone finally got ready to leave and each of them took a minute to pull Steve aside and request that he give a message to Grace or Danny for them. They were all concerned and wanted to be sure that their good girl stayed that way. Steve appreciated each of his team that much more by the end of the day. He finally got everyone on their way home and locked down the offices. He sighed and headed for his next tough session of the day.

Steve pulled up in front of Rachel's house and steeled himself to whatever he was going to find when he went through that door.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: Once again thanks for all the comments!**

* * *

**The conversation with Grace.**

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Steve entered the house and found Danny and Grace at the kitchen table. Rachel was just returning from upstairs where she had tucked the littles in for their very late naps. She joined the group at the table.

"Grace. As you can tell, your father, Uncle Steve and I are all pretty upset about this new tendency of yours to text us a made-up story in order to spend time with a boy you like. Never mind the fact that the boy in this instance is much too old for you. "

"I know. I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry everyone! I won't ever do it again."

Grace's lower lip was trembling and the tears were starting fresh.

Steve put a steadying hand on Danny's shoulder. He knew how much it bothered his friend to see Grace cry. However, he also knew what she needed most right now was for the adults in her life to present a united front. Danny couldn't let the waterworks cause him to cave in. Steve was also concerned whether his friend even felt he should be involved in this conversation and he didn't want to overstep his bounds.

"Listen, buddy, maybe you and Rachel want to talk to Gracie alone."

Rachel looked at Danny and then at Steve.

"Steven, you are part of this family and both Daniel and I value your input. I think that it would be very helpful to Grace to also hear your opinion on what happened today and realize that it's not just her parents who think this was wrong."

Danny nodded and patted Steve on the back.

"Actually, buddy it would be best if you stick around. You seem to have a calming effect, since you kept me from killing that little punk."

Grace gasped at her father's comment. He turned his head and looked his daughter directly in the eye.

"All right Grace, listen to me and listen good. You are just on the verge of turning 13, but I think you are still much too young to date. I know your Mom agrees with me. Uncle Steve has already voiced his opinion that you shouldn't date until you're 25."

They all smiled slightly at that. Danny continued.

"Grace, we know you're growing up. What we don't like is that you are in such a hurry to do so. The make-up when Grandma was in town. While I totally blame her for that, but you knew I didn't allow you to wear make-up yet, and you did it anyway. Fibbing to me about the Valentine's Day ice cream date with that boy. Now this. We can't stop you from growing up and frankly none of us want to stop you. What we want more than anything, is that you grow up with dignity and with respect for yourself, for your Mother and for me. Well, and Uncle Steve too. Today you didn't demonstrate respect for any of us, most of all yourself."

Grace sank deeper into her chair. She was really sad when she realized how very much she had disappointed all of them, especially her dad. Then Uncle Steve chipped in.

"What your dad is saying is 100% correct, Gracie. Listen, at the end of the day, you have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and be proud of the choices you made for yourself that day. Someone once told me that when you look around at the five best friends that are surrounding you, you need to ask yourself if they are the quality of people that you are proud to be with. Let me tell you something, my five best friends are your Dad, Uncle Chin, Aunty Kono, Uncle Lou and now your Mom. I am proud to be with these people every minute of every day."

Rachel looked startled and then pleased to be included in Steve's list of best friends.

"You remember my sister, Mary."

With that Steve's voice broke, but he shook his head slightly, ground his teeth and then continued.

"Mary had a pretty hard time when we thought our Mom had died and she was shipped off to Aunt Deb. She started drinking at a very young age and continued to party like that her whole life. It didn't do her any favors. Alcohol or drugs are not ever going to make you proud of your choices, I can guarantee you that."

Danny picked up where Steve left off in their tag team method of trying to impart some valuable lessons.

"Grace, here is something else I want you to consider. If you must lie in order to spend time with someone you like, maybe that's someone you should be staying away from instead. When you can be honest and tell us to our faces that you want to go to the movies or out for ice cream with a boy, then that's a boy I want to meet."

As Danny finished, Rachel reached over and gently laid her hands on Grace's.

"I realize that sometimes you think your father is determined to keep you a little girl forever, but that is not the case. He is proud of the woman you are growing into. We all are. We want to continue to be proud of you. So, Grace, please consider the consequences of the decisions you make. You must be careful with your friendships, with your romantic relationships, and with your educational and career choices. What we want for you, above all else, is for you to be happy and safe. You will not find happiness sneaking around."

Grace looked at the three most important people in her life and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry. I just felt so bad when Pone told me I was a ….a baby. The other kids all laughed at me. It felt terrible. Then Jason started paying attention to me and that made me feel good. When he asked me to go, I didn't want to tell him that I couldn't spend the day at the beach with him and his friends. I didn't want another boy to think I was too much of a baby."

Grace started crying again.

"Gracie, you're not a baby. But, you're not old enough to hang around with a 16 year old boy either. Anything could have happened to you today. You cannot even imagine how much that scares us. Don't try to rush growing up. Enjoy the age you are and the life you have. You have to remember, we all love you very much."

After he was done talking, Steve looked helplessly at his partner. Danny smiled at him, and squeezed his forearm. He then pushed his chair closer to Grace's and reached out to gather her up in his arms. He pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

"I love you, Monkey. I want you to think about what Uncle Steve, your mom and I said. I want you to come and talk to us when something hurts you, like what that kid said, okay? As long as we can be honest with each other, we're going to get through these teenage years just fine, okay, honey?"

Grace looked at her dad and nodded slowly.

"Am I going to be grounded?"

Danny looked at Rachel, she nodded firmly back at him. They had discussed her punishment when they had been on their way to the beach. He sighed and looked at the floor. He hated to do this, but he knew it was absolutely necessary.

"Yes. You are grounded. But, that's not all. You are only going to go to school or cheer practice or swim club. That's it. We thought about taking you out of Cheer and Swim Club, but you made a commitment to a team and that wouldn't be fair to them. There will be no friend's houses. No parties. No shopping trips. Absolutely nothing else. Until school is finished in June, it is approved activities only, and as for the summer, you may consider yourself on house arrest. You may have your phone during the school day and when you return home, you will turn it over to your Mother. She will check your texts and emails every day. You are to delete nothing, so if there is something you don't want us to see, you better alert your friends. You are going to earn your privileges back with your good behavior. You really tested your boundaries today, Grace and now you are going to get pulled back in hard."

Grace pressed her face into her dad's neck and nodded her head while she sobbed brokenly. She could feel her mom's hand on her shoulder and Uncle Steve's hand on top of her head. She knew this was a harsh punishment, but she also knew that she deserved it. She had a little epiphany as she suddenly realized what a boy like Pone or Jason thought about her didn't matter, as long as she was able to have the love and respect of her parents and her Uncle Steve. She promised herself that she would work hard to earn back that respect.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny and Steve were finally sitting in the chairs on the beach looking over the water, the grueling day finally finished. They had a cooler with a six pack sitting between them. Steve leaned over and popped the caps on two of the beers and handed one to Danny. Grace and Joanie were in their rooms, sound asleep.

"Well, buddy, here's to another tough day."

"I swear, Steve, I always thought it was going to be the death defying stunts you drag me into on a daily basis that would kill me, but now I am beginning to believe that it's actually going to be Grace's teenage years. I don't know if I'm going to survive them."

Steve snorted.

"Yeah, I can believe that, man. But, you can't let them kill you, because in ten short years, I am going to need you to get me through Joanie's teenage years."

"Oh, God it's never going to end, is it? I sure hope we make it through all this."

Danny sighed and took a deep drink.

"Well, after the talk we had, I do think she understands why there are rules and that she must follow them. I think she was really scared when she was stuck at that beach with no way home except for that loser, Jason. I know her mother is going to be even stricter than she has been. Rachel is no push-over."

"Thank God for that, right Danno? The thing is, Grace is a good kid. At the end of the day, she has a good solid grounding of what the right thing to do is. In fact, I think that's why she has been so snappish with you lately. I think she knew she was making bad decisions and because she knew it was wrong, it upset her and she was lashing out."

Danny looked at Steve for a few silent moments, a look of pure astonishment on his face. Then he chuckled ruefully as he raised his beer bottle in a toast in Steve's direction.

"Steve, I swear I think the more you open up your emotions, the less we need that shrink. Pretty soon, you're going to be a full-fledged human being and might actually be able to do her job."

Steve smirked at his friend. He knew that Danny was releasing his tension and worries by teasing Steve and that was fine by him.

Danny continued to open up to Steve about his fears.

"I gotta tell you Steve, I'm afraid. I am afraid of my little girl growing up and I'm afraid of all the bad people and situations she could find herself in. I am afraid that I'm not going to be able to protect her. That's my job to protect her and I'm not going to be able to… sometimes I just don't know what to do."

Steve looked at his best friend for a few minutes and then tried to offer him some support.

"Look, Danno. I get it, I really do. You won't believe it, but I'm pretty afraid most of the time too. For Grace. For Joan. For Charlie. For the team. But, as far as the kids are concerned, I think we're bringing them up right and giving them the right tools to make good choices. Plus we have each other to rely on. This was a rough day, but frankly it's probably a good thing that it happened while Grace is still so young."

Danny spit the mouthful of beer he had just taken in all over the sand and yelled back at Steve.

"Are you nuts? What the hell do you mean, a good thing?"

"Well, Danno. I'm pretty sure that the word is going to spread like wildfire that Grace Williams has a crazy cop for a father and an insane Navy SEAL for an uncle. That should keep the boys away."

Danny gaped at Steve for a full minute, and then burst into hysterical laughter.

"Thanks, man. I can always count on you to get me to see the bright side of things."

The two friends finished their six-pack and enjoyed the tranquility of the evening before they headed back into the house to go to bed. You had to take the good, quiet moments where you could get them. They never seemed to last long.

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**A/N: That will finish this particular story arc. I can't wait to see what they have planned for the two hour SEASON finale tonight. I hope it has lots of stuff I can incorporate into future stories. I do have one story line almost completed that may make for a fun summer read! :)**

**Thanks for all your support and all your comments. You can't imagine how great it is to see that someone has faved, followed, or left me a comment on the story. It's nice to hear that you are enjoying this.**


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: I'm baaaack :). My plan is to update Mondays and Thursdays (as long as I have something to say). As you know, comments can definitely affect the story trajectory, so please comment, comment, comment! Thanks to one and all!**

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Grace's "captivity" as she privately called it to herself zipped by fairly quickly. School, at least, was finally over. She was thankful she hadn't had any problems with Jason. In fact, any time he saw her in the hallway, he made a point to head the other way. When he was spending time with Grace before, he had to make a real effort to be around for her lunch periods and the like. There were several grades separating them after all, so they were on extremely different schedules. The friends he had at Sacred Heart ignored Grace now, as they had ignored her before. There was no difference there.

Her own friends felt badly for Grace that she was unable to participate in any of their outside fun. At least she still had Cheer and Swim Club. If she didn't have that, she thought she would have gone a little crazy. She felt bad missing out on birthday parties, sleep-overs and shopping, but there was only a month of school left after the disastrous outing with Jason to the beach, so it wasn't so terrible.

Some of the kids who weren't her friends tried to tease her unmercifully, but the girls and boys she was close to decided that Grace should never be alone in the few weeks left of school, so the teasing was brief and unfulfilling for the bullies. Her friend Tommy had even gotten into trouble for getting into a fight with Sebastian, one of her most erstwhile tormentors.

But, school was over and her Uncle Steve had reassured her that people had short memories. By the time school resumed in the Fall, he was sure that there would be a new target for the mean kids to concentrate on. She was pretty sure he was right.

Danno and her mother had discussed the plans for the summer. They allowed Grace to continue her Cheer activities, which were pretty much year round. However, she would be missing the week long Cheer Camp in July this year, as a further punishment. She hoped it wouldn't affect her position on the team, but she knew that Danno had a conversation with her coach and she was one of the better gymnasts, so she felt if she had to take a back seat, it would only be for their first few events.

Grace was actually fairly well reconciled to her situation. While she was upset that she wouldn't be able to go to Cheer Camp, she was able to participate in the Cheer practices which were several times a week. She had discussed what happened with some of her closest girlfriends, like Carolyn, and she was actually happy that Carolyn had filled in her mom on what was going on. Sometimes Grace just felt like she didn't quite fit in anymore, and she found she enjoyed spending time at either of her homes with the adults and the littles more than she wanted to be out with her friends. At least for right now.

Charlie and Joanie had apparently paid very close attention to the situation with Grace and what they seemed to take away from it was that they should never lie to Steve, Danny or Rachel. They ended up turning themselves in for the smallest infractions, such as when Joanie had accidentally broken a small knick knack in Rachel's dining room, and walked into the kitchen holding the shards in her hands with tears just beginning to drip down her face.

Rachel just took the broken pieces from her hands and put them in the garbage, then sat at the table with the little girl on her lap, while they quietly discussed how it had happened. Rachel smiled when Joanie asked what her 'punishment' would be and quietly told her there didn't always have to be a punishment, especially when someone was honest about things.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

As the weeks went by and cases for the 5-0 Team came and went, Rachel began to get more and more concerned about Charlie. As usual he was a happy boy, but he wasn't as energetic as he normally was and was starting to get a lot of fevers for no apparent reason. She had him in and out of his pediatrician's office a number of times, but things just weren't getting better, which the doctor was finally addressing.

"Mrs. Edwards, I want to refer Charlie to Shriners Children's Hospital for some further testing. Dr. Inoku is a tremendous diagnostician and he has gotten to the bottom of a number of troubling cases for me over the years."

Rachel and the doctor discussed things and his office assistant made the appointment for Charlie for the following week and told Rachel that she was having all of Charlie's records transferred to Dr. Inoku's office.

The following weeks passed in a blur for Rachel, there was quite a bit of testing, and she and Charlie were in and out of Shriners on a practically daily basis. Danny and Steve took on much more of the care of Grace and Joan while all of this was going on. They were both very worried about their little buddy and were trying to be as supportive of both he and Rachel as they could, without her feeling as though they were intruding.

When Rachel called Danny and Steve and asked them to meet her at the playground, they weren't sure what to expect. While Charlie and Joan played, Rachel filled them in on Dr. Inoku's diagnosis. Charlie had a rare disorder called HLH. The best treatment was a bone marrow transplant. She had already had Grace tested and she was not a match. Rachel herself had been tested, and even though she was what they called "a half match," Dr. Inoku had already told her that she lacked several important markers that he would have liked to have seen in the profile.

She was very upset as she told Danny and Steve that now she would have to reach out to Stanley and convince him to return home for testing, even though due to his drug use, she wasn't even sure they would be able to use his bone marrow. If it turned out neither of them were a good match, then they would have to enter Charlie into the Bone Marrow Registry and also start working on a drive to test as many of their friends and relatives as they could. Unfortunately neither Rachel nor Stan had any siblings.

"Okay, Rachel, we're with you on this. I can certainly go and collect Stan." Steve grinned quietly to himself at the thought of how he would be collecting Stan.

"But before I head off, why don't we get started testing all of us? Me, Danny, Kono, Chin, Duke. A jump start on it is only going to be for the good. We have a huge network of friends and I'm sure they're all willing to get tested. It sounds like it only takes a few minutes to do. I know it's a long shot, but the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll find out if anybody else is going to be suitable."

They all agreed that was the best plan and Rachel called Dr. Inoku's office to set up the testing. Everyone who came in would have to be willing to be entered into the bone marrow registry, and it was possible that while they wouldn't be able to help Charlie, they could possibly match and help another person with a life threatening illness. Steve and Kono were discussing how to approach the Governor to get his backing to make it an official drive for the government offices, as well as working on Steve's travel plans to Thailand. Steve wanted to get tested before he left, so he and Danny scheduled their appointments for the next day.

Right after Steve, Danny, Kono, Chin, Jerry, Kamekona, Max, Duke Lukela, Charlie Fong and a few of their other close friends had gone through the testing, Dr. Inoku was going through the results. As he did the comparison on one of the results and then Charlie's, he began to become confused. He went back to his technicians and questioned them closely about the process and how they had protected the test samples. They had apparently observed every protocol and there had been no danger of cross contamination. He then did a DNA test on the two samples and was astonished at what he found.

Dr. Inoku immediately called Mrs. Edwards and arranged for her to come to his office the following morning. He was unsure of the reception this news would receive. While he knew she would be delighted, as he was, that there was an excellent match, he was unsure what other repercussions would arise.

Dr. Inoku's receptionist ushered Rachel into a private room and the doctor entered shortly thereafter. He pulled up a chair right next to Rachel, and took both her hands in his.

"Mrs. Edwards. I am hesitant and feel somewhat indelicate addressing this, but Charlie's life is at stake, so at the risk of offending you, I must ask. Is there any chance that Charlie might be the child of your ex-husband?"

Rachel stared at him open-mouthed for a few moments, and never a slow woman, put two and two together immediately.

"Oh my God! The doctor said I was too far along for it to be Danny's! That's what I was told. Are you telling me that Charles is Daniel's son?"

"Yes. That is precisely what I am telling you. Not only that, but he may be the best half matching donor I have ever seen in all my years of doing this work. His half match contains all the important markers that were missing in yours. I feel Charles has an excellent chance of survival and full recovery." Dr. Inoku was fairly beaming with this good news.

Rachel was absolutely overcome with emotion. She was overjoyed that there was a possible cure for Charles and she was terrified of having to tell Danny the news. She knew him well, and despite the fact that she herself hadn't been aware of the truth until this moment, he was going to be devastated that he had missed out on the first three years of Charles' life. She was afraid he would beat himself, and her, up for it for years to come. But none of that mattered if Charles' life could be spared. She picked up the phone and dialed Danny's number to arrange for him to come over to the house that night.


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: Couldn't wait until Monday to post, so you get the next chapter today. Thanks again for all the comments. It helps to keep the story flowing!**

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The next morning Steve pulled his truck into his parking space and smiled to himself to see the Camaro already there. He had missed Danny and the kids last night, even though he had gone out with Lou and Chin. Danny had spent the night at Rachel's with all the children and Steve had been alone at the McGarrett house. It surprised him how much he missed his family when they weren't there.

He bounded up the stairs and into the 5-0 offices. Before he had even gotten two feet in the door, he was confronted with an obviously upset and worried Kono.

"Oh thank God someone else is finally here."

She grabbed Steve's arm and began to drag him back out the main door.

"Kono? What's going on?"

"You have to get him boss. You have to stop him. Someone's going to get hurt. He's like a crazy man right now."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"Danny. I'm talking about Danny. I called Chin and texted Lou but they're each about 20 minutes away. I was just about to call you."

Steve stopped their forward momentum by digging in his heels and dragging her around to face him.

"Kono! What is going on with Danny?"

"I don't know! I only got here a little bit ago and Duke was waiting for me, and told me Danny's been in the gym for the last two hours. Apparently when he hasn't talked some poor, unsuspecting cop into sparring with him, he's been working the heavy bag like a demon. His hands are starting to look like hamburger. He won't come out. He won't stop. He won't listen to me. Duke made Pua stand guard so at least no one else goes in and gets hurt. He already mangled a beat cop and a detective from vice before I got here."

Steve's eyes bugged out at her and then he turned and ran for the police department gym. Pua saw him coming and quickly stepped aside to allow him access.

He entered the room and saw an exhausted Danny, covered in sweat and blood, whaling at the heavy bag.

"Danny! Danny! Stop it! Stop right now!"

Danny whirled around at the sound of his name. He was swaying on his feet and Steve instantly saw Kono was right. While his hands were taped, he hadn't put on gloves and they looked like raw meat.

Steve headed toward Danny, who advanced on him swinging, but because of his exhaustion, his jabs were sloppy and unfocused. Steve was able to use his size and weight to wrap himself around his friend and pin his arms to his side. Danny struggled against Steve, but it was a weak and ineffectual effort. Steve could feel when his friend finally gave up the fight and stood there for a few minutes, breathing heavily. Then he collapsed to his knees, pulling Steve down with him. He steadied both of them on the ground, without releasing his hold on Danny.

"What the hell is going on, man? What's this all about?"

Danny struggled against him and then he pushed himself back and away from Steve.

"Charlie. It's about Charlie, Steve. I can't believe. Rachel just told me. God, Rachel told me last night they got the results of the bone marrow tests. I'm Charlie's father. Charlie is really my son."

Steve gaped at Danny for a minute.

"Holy crap, Danny! You have to be kidding me. Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? How can you ask me that? NO! I'm not okay. What is ever going to be okay again? I missed out on that kid's life. His first three years are gone and I'll never get them back. And now, now he's sick and he might die. Now is when she tells me."

"Wait, Danny. Are you saying that Rachel knew?"

Steve watched as Danny's entire being sagged at the question.

"No, man. She said she didn't know. She said she never even suspected. She didn't think anything until this Dr. Inoku told her that our DNA matched."

Steve sat silently for a minute.

"Well, I guess I can tell Kono to cancel my travel plans to Thailand. There's no reason to go retrieve Stanley."

Danny snorted softly.

"Nah, that might be the best thing to come out of this. At least Charlie doesn't have to ever deal with that asswipe again."

"True enough, Danny. All right, listen up now, you have to get over to the hospital. Your hands look terrible. We can talk all this out later, but right now, you need to get fixed up."

Danny looked at his hands, seemingly surprised to see the state they were in. He nodded blankly at Steve and told him that he would get Kono to drive him over. Steve didn't want to let him go, but realized his friend might need a little distance to pull himself back together.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Several hours later, Danny was at "his" lookout. The place he came to think and reflect. It was the first place he had gone to on this island and the place he revisited whenever he had something in his head that he needed to work through. He badly needed his special place this time.

After Kono had taken him to the hospital, he had convinced her to just drop him off. He had gotten treated and then took a cab back to HQ. He was going to go into the office, but at the last minute, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just got into the Camaro and started driving. Not surprisingly, he ended up at the lookout.

He was having a hard time coming to grips with Rachel's revelation. He was amazed he was Charlie's father and he was unreasonably angry at Rachel. He felt he had missed out on so much of the child's life, even though she professed not to have known the truth. After all the ground they had gained over the last year, Danny felt he was right back to where he had been before. Not being able to trust her. Wondering how she was going to fuck with him next.

He also had to get a rein on his temper. Sure, he had been involved since Rachel and Charlie had returned to the island, but not as the father, only as the "Danno." He felt like he had missed so much.

But, he really hadn't, had he? He had been there for Charlie's birth and while he had certainly missed out on his son's first three years, he was there now and had actually been in the picture since Rachel and Charlie had moved back to Hawaii. He knew how much Charlie already looked up to and depended on him. He remembered when Charlie had told him "I'd rather have a Danno than a Daddy." With everything Charlie knew about having a Daddy, maybe a Danno was the better person to be for him.

His hands were wrapped and ached. He knew he would have to apologize to the two officers that had the misfortune of sparring with him that morning. Probably owed Pua and Duke an apology too. He had such a hard time wrapping his head around Rachel's news and he had headed for the department's gym that morning hoping to burn off a little aggression. He had never expected to have his feelings pour out of him with such uncontrollable fury.

Danny was frustrated and his mind was a whirlwind. Confused. Angry. Hurt. He had a maelstrom of emotions coursing through him and he didn't even know how he should feel or what he should do next. He heard a car door slam behind him and someone walking towards him. 'Steve' he thought to himself without even having to turn around.

"Danno. How ya doing, buddy?"

Danny could hear the concern in his friend's voice and could feel the empathy the man was projecting wash over him. His shoulders loosened from around his ears. He actually smiled at Steve.

"I'm okay, Steve. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to feel about all this. I know Rachel is too. It doesn't change anything and yet it changes everything. Plus, now I'm terrified that my kid is sick and might die."

"Look, Danny, I don't know what to tell you other than that Rachel is a good woman and she is a good mom. She didn't know or she would have told you. You have to believe that. She's not so heartless and cruel that she would raise Charlie and never tell you that you were his father. She's been dealing with Charlie being sick for a long time now and she was probably in shock when she found out the news. It can't have been easy for her to tell you and she's probably a little afraid of what you are going to do from here on out."

"Yeah, I get that. But, we wasted so much time!"

There was a long drawn out silence. Steve finally looked at him.

"Yeah, that's true. A lot of time has been wasted. And how much more time are you going to waste being angry about this? If you fight with Rachel over it, it's going to hurt you, her, Grace and Charlie. How about this time, you just swallow it and move forward? Tell Charlie you're his real daddy. Think how much better he's going to feel knowing that douchebag isn't his real father. You and Rachel need to move past this and figure out how to deal with it going forward for the good of the kids."

Danny felt a little like he had been kicked. He had been so busy focusing on lost time, he had completely forgotten to consider, really consider Charlie. He was so grateful to Steve for pointing out what should have been obvious to him from the start. It had to be about the kids, not him. Not about his hurt feelings or that he had missed out on some time. Danny was a great father. He needed to fix his head around the fact that he was Danno and Daddy to two great kids and move forward.

He smiled at his friend.

"Steven. Have I ever told you what a great friend you are?"

"Well, you may have mentioned it a time or two, but I never mind hearing it again, buddy." Steve's grin was infectious as he slung an arm across Danny's shoulders.

"Thanks, man. Let's head over to Rachel's. I think she and I need to talk a little more."

"Sounds great. She's got all the kids. Maybe we can figure out something fun we can do to celebrate your new title, Daddy."

"I guess it's a little too late for cigars, huh?"

The two friends headed for the vehicles and drove over to Rachel's house.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N: I originally intended for yesterday's chapter to take the place of my Monday posting, but a "Guest" left a nice review and asked if there would still be a chapter today. I can't resist my reviewers! Someone also was wanting to see how Danny told Charlie, which wasn't something I had written, so this chapter and the next chapter were written in response to that. I'm glad for that comment, because I really like how it ended up working into the story. So, thanks again for your reviews!**

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Danny had a lot of time to think on the drive over to Rachel's and when he and Steve arrived, after they had greeted the children and gotten them settled watching TV in the den, he pulled Steve and Rachel aside in the kitchen.

"Listen you guys, if it's okay with you, I want to just proceed with tonight like normal. Have dinner and put the kids to bed. Maybe Steve and I can stay here overnight. Then in the morning, I want to take everybody over to Steve's. We can get breakfast together and I can take Charlie out on the beach and talk to him. Is that okay, Rach?"

Danny hadn't realized until it had come time to tell Charlie the news how much Steve's house had become his home. When he thought about telling Charlie at Rachel's it just didn't seem right. The only place he could even picture delivering the news to Charlie was out on the beach behind the McGarrett house. He realized that for better or for worse, Hawaii was becoming his heart home more and more with every passing day. He held his breath waiting for Rachel's response.

Rachel struggled for a few minutes. She wanted to be present when Danny told Charlie and she had thought they would do it that night together at her house. As she considered Danny's question, she realized it was important to him to do this himself. After giving it her due consideration, she nodded her head at him. Danny instantly relaxed a bit.

"Thank you. I'll tell Charlie and then you and I can talk to him some more. Then we need to tell Grace. After that we need to tell Joanie. Obviously it's going to be a little different how we tell each of them. But, I want them to be able to ask us any questions they need to and I think it would be helpful if Steve is there. You know Grace might have concerns that she won't talk to either of us about, but for some reason she is always able to open up to Steve. Is that okay, buddy?"

Steve swallowed nervously. He thought of Grace as if she were his own child and he knew that she felt comfortable asking him a lot of things that she hesitated to talk to Danny or Rachel about. He wanted to be sure to handle her questions in a way that would comfort the young girl. He finally nodded at Danny.

"Yes. That's fine, Danny. I'm here for all of you. You know that."

Danny nodded firmly and then ushered them back into the den and got the kids into a lively discussion about what they would order for dinner. The final determination was Hawaiian pizza for Steve, Rachel, Grace and Joanie and pepperoni pizza for Danny and Charlie. They ate pizza, watched a movie and everyone was in bed at a reasonable time.

The next morning dawned sunny and bright. Everyone was up early and they organized the kids for the ride over to Steve's house. They were really excited to have a full day of sun, surf and fun. They all loved swimming and playing on the beach so the whole group was really looking forward to the day.

After they had squared away breakfast and everyone had changed into their suits, Danny looked meaningfully at Rachel and Steve and receiving their small nods in return, he stood up and gestured to Charlie.

"Hey, Tiger. Come and take a walk with me, okay? There's something I need to talk to you about."

Charlie trustingly popped up from the floor and grinned up at him. He always loved when he could spend special one on one time with Danno or Uncle Steve, and they always tried to fit some of that time into their schedules for him.

Danny and Charlie settled into the chairs by the beach. Danny reached over and took both of Charlie's hands into his bandaged ones.

"Okay, buddy. Now, I know your Mom told you about how all our friends were being tested to see who would be able to help with you not feeling good all the time, right?"

"Yeah, Danno. Mommy says I has to get some new marrow put into me and they have to find someone special to get it from, so everybody's being tested. She said it might hurt me a little, but then I would be all better."

Danny's eyes glistened and he swallowed convulsively. He hated the thought that this little guy was sick, but he had to push through and tell him the news.

"Yes, Tiger. That's exactly what's happening. Now, when the doctors did the test, they found out something important. Something that nobody knew until that test. Something that Mommy and me didn't even know until then. It turns out that I am your real Daddy. That mean daddy that was here before is not your real Daddy. He's not any kind of Daddy to you at all. I am your real Daddy. So, I get to be the someone special that gives you the marrow."

Danny held his breath waiting to see the reaction. Charlie sat considering for a moment and then the biggest smile came over his face and he threw himself into Danny's arms and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"You're my Daddy, Danno! You're my real Daddy! Now me and Gracie are just the same! We have the same Daddy and the same Mommy and the same Danno."

Danny laughed out loud. Trust Charlie to come up with a way to have it make sense to him. He was now the same as his beloved Gracie.

"That's right, Tiger. You and Gracie are just the same and you have the same Mommy and Daddy. Don't forget, I will always still be your Danno."

Charlie settled on Danny's lap and nestled himself into Danny's arms. They sat there for quite a while just enjoying being together.

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**A/N: Short chapter today - longer one on Thursday!**


	51. Chapter 51

**A/N: Happy Thursday and another chapter in my story. Please keep the reviews coming, they are certainly inspiring! Thanks to everyone who faves, follows, and/or reviews. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.**

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Later on Danny reflected on the conversation he had with Charlie. Followed by the conversation he had with Grace. Then with Charlie and Grace together. Then add in Rachel. Finally, Joan and Steve were added to the mix. There were quite a few conversations. By the end of them, he was emotionally exhausted and thought everyone else was too.

To Danny's surprise, Grace was actually the toughest conversation for him. Three years ago she was still very young and while she knew that Danny was supposed to join them in New Jersey, she didn't really understand why. Now, as a 13 year old, she had a pretty good idea of why, much to Danny's chagrin. Danny and Rachel had to do a lot of fast talking to respond to her many, many questions.

It was exceedingly hard to address the obvious elephant in the room when you broke it down to the fact that her parents had an adulterous affair while her Mother was still a married woman. Danny sweated bullets as he tried to walk the tightrope of answering her questions, without telling her too much, all the while still hoping she would retain her respect for both he and Rachel.

After they had spoken with her and answered her questions, she went to her room for a while. When she came back to the lanai, she asked if she and Uncle Steve could take a walk on the beach together. Danny and Rachel agreed and Steve squeezed Rachel's shoulder when he passed her as he followed Grace out of the house.

They walked for a while and then Grace spoke quietly to Steve.

"I'm not sure how to feel about this, Uncle Steve. I'm glad that Danno is Charlie's daddy too because that means Step-Stan doesn't have any reason to bother us anymore and also because we're full brother and sister. But, why didn't Danno and Mommy get married again when she was pregnant?"

Steve's heart broke for the little girl, but he answered her honestly.

"I'm sure there are a lot of reasons for that, Gracie. Mostly your Mom wasn't sure what to do and at the time she thought she was making the best decision for everyone. She and Stan were still married. The doctor thought that Stan was the baby's father. She knew how much it hurt you not to be with your dad all the time after the divorce and I think she thought that she was preventing that happening to Charlie. You know, all of this is really hard for your Mom and your Dad. They still love each other."

Grace interrupted.

"But they're not good together, Uncle Steve. They fight too much. Danno yells and Mom gets upset and it's always awful. I like our family the way it is now. When I'm with you and Danno, even if he's yelling and crabby you know how to deal with him. You don't start crying or yelling back. When I'm with Mom, things are pretty calm and quiet. Sometimes they're actually too calm and quiet. The best part is that whatever home I'm at, I'm with Charlie and Joanie."

"Well, Gracie, I don't think your Mom and Danno have any plans to change any of that right now. Especially with Charlie being sick. I think our Ohana is going to stay just the way it is, okay?"

Grace nodded and wiped the tears from her face. She was so grateful to be able to talk to Uncle Steve. She really loved her mom and dad of course, but Uncle Steve always listened to her questions and he never flew off the handle like her dad or fretted and worried about things like her mom. He would just carefully consider what she had to say and then give her the best answer he had. She knew he couldn't answer all her questions, but he absolutely never lied to her.

While they were gone and the littles were occupied with the TV in the den, the two parents also talked quietly with each other. They both recognized the arrangement they had now was the best thing for the children and for each of them. During the time since Rachel's return, they had become very excellent friends. Their romantic past was extremely rocky, but they were able to get beyond that.

While there was still certainly an intense attraction, they knew it would be too confusing for both children for them to make another attempt to be a couple, especially if that attempt ended up failing yet again, as both their marriage and their affair had. Danny did not want to ever take a chance on either Grace or Charlie looking at him as someone who continually put their childhood in turmoil. They decided to do what they always did and put their children first.

One thing no one had anticipated was Joanie's reaction. When she heard the news, she looked back and forth between the adults and then burst into tears. When they were finally able to quiet her down, she plaintively asked them if any of them were her Mommy or Daddy. With an anguished look on his face, Steve gently took the little girl on his lap and explained that her Mommy had been his sister, but she was in heaven now.

Charlie walked up to Steve's chair and hugged Joanie. He whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry, Joanie. I share. You can share Mommy and Danno wif me."

Each of the adults also reassured her that they loved her a great deal, but it was Grace who was finally able to make her smile.

"It's okay, Joanie. Nobody calls Danno Daddy anyway. He's just Danno. He's my Danno and Charlie's Danno and your Danno too. So see, we're all the same. Plus, each of us has an Uncle Steve too."

Then Grace lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper in Joanie's ear.

"But you're special because you have an Auntie Rachel all to yourself. That's something Charlie and I don't have. We might have a Mommy that you don't, but you have an Auntie Rachel that we don't. I have to share the Mommy with Charlie, but Auntie Rachel is just yours."

For some reason, that was the trick to making Joanie feel better. She sat on Steve's lap while she finished her last remaining hiccupping sobs. Then she wiggled until she got him to let her down and she took Charlie by the hand to head outside to build a sandcastle, the problem forgotten for the time being. Rachel and Grace accompanied them, leaving Danny and Steve sitting in the kitchen chairs.

Each of the men looked a little bit as though a steamroller had gone over them, Steve more so than Danny. A day full of emotional roller coasters was not what either of them relished at any time. They managed to shake off the emotions and get another swim lesson underway as soon as the sandcastle was finished.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

The biggest concern in both Danny and Rachel's minds after they broke the news of Charlie's parentage to the children was his upcoming medical treatment. Danny's part of the bone marrow harvesting was easy. The transplant was extremely hard for the little boy. He had to stay in the hospital for a month beforehand in isolation so that his immune system would not be compromised while he built up the immunities necessary for his new bone marrow to take hold.

Rachel would have lived at the hospital during this time, if it weren't for the Ohana. Even though Danny and Steve took over every detail of Grace and Joan's care, one of them was at the hospital every day they possibly could to give Rachel some relief. Kono, Chin and the Grover's were a godsend. Renee Grover was able to pick up Joan from Day Care whenever a caseload made it necessary. Grace and Joan also spent quite a few overnights at the Grover household.

Surprisingly Jerry proved to be extremely valuable during this time. His schedule was much more open than anyone else's and he stopped by every day. Rachel would be able to take a break for an hour or two and the little boy absolutely adored the large man. They spent many happy hours together talking about superheroes.

Kono and Rachel had become extremely close during Rachel's time on the island and Kono was consistently able to get Rachel to leave the hospital for a little bit for a sandwich, a quick shopping distraction or even just to take a nap for a few hours. The hospital personnel were initially a little confused by the vastness of Charlie's Ohana, but as the weeks went on, they became very familiar with everyone.

Charlie had good days and bad days, ups and downs. His favorite days were when either Danny or Steve would come to play with him, gowned, capped, and masked. They would play fire engines and color and do all the things he enjoyed doing with them. He missed Grace a lot, and he really missed Joanie. They were almost the same age and as tight as siblings and it wasn't easy for him to do without her. For her part, Joanie was devastated that Charlie wasn't around and the whole team worked hard to keep her happy and distracted.

Whenever they were free, Danny and Steve each insisted on having a turn staying overnight with Charlie and making Rachel go home to sleep in her own bed for a little while. She never wanted to, but Steve finally sat her down and told her they wouldn't take no for an answer. She couldn't exhaust herself. Charlie was going to have a long road of recovery ahead of him and she wouldn't be doing him any good if she didn't have the energy to take care of him.

Danny treasured the times he could spend with his little boy. He had three years to catch up on after all. They would snuggle up on the bed in Charlie's room, with Danny all capped and gowned and masked. Danny would read stories to Charlie or they would just lie on the bed and talk.

Danny would tell him lots of stories about growing up in New Jersey, playing with his sisters, building snow forts, and his short-lived baseball career in High School. The only subject he didn't discuss with Charlie was his brother, Matt. The pain was still too fresh and raw.

Charlie had a lot of questions, especially about Danny's mom and dad, who were his newly discovered Grandparents. Both Rachel and Stan's parents were long gone, and Charlie was really excited that he finally had a Gramma and Gramps.

He wasn't more excited than Clara and Eddie though. After they had been informed of the new development, Danny's parents were constantly calling to check on the little guy and sending small presents. They had always kept in touch with Grace and sent her presents and letters. When they found about Charlie,, they started doing the same thing with him and they were also including Joanie in the group. The cards to each of them were always signed, 'Love, Gramma and Gramps.' Steve was deeply touched by their including Joanie.

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**A/N: I am not very good with medical details, so please skim over any errors or inconsistencies. **


	52. Chapter 52

**A/N: Hope everyone had a great weekend and/or Memorial Day. Sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday. Thanks again for all the comments, faves and follows!**

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Three months after Charlie's initial treatment had begun, Dr. Inoku was finally releasing him from Shriners. They would have to watch him carefully for the rest of his life, but the doctors all felt that the bone marrow treatment had been a great success. The doctor's anticipated that Charlie would have a full and complete recovery, his immune system was fully recovered and they all had high hopes that it would stay that way.

During Charlie's treatment and recovery, each of the adults was impressed with Grace's maturity. While the adults around her were busy and occupied with Charlie's treatment and care, she had taken it upon herself to take Joan under her wing. She was always with the little girl and spent a lot of time distracting her, reading, playing, and teaching her some simple tumbling routines. The pre-teen that was beginning to be so boy crazy just a few months ago had disappeared and a more mature, thoughtful, and caring Grace had taken her place. She was so worried about her brother and she knew that this was the best way to help her family.

Grace had also enlisted Steve, Kono, Chin and Lou and planned a "Welcome Home Charlie" party. Danny, Rachel and the littles didn't know anything about it, other than they were all invited to Steve's house on the first Saturday after Charlie's release. Steve had already cleared the plan with Dr. Inoku, who told him that Charlie was just like any other little boy his age now. He could participate in any activity his parents deemed appropriate.

Grace was so excited when her Mom and Dad and the littles had arrived. Everyone else was already there and she couldn't wait to see the look on Charlie's face when he realized that this whole party was just for him. She wasn't disappointed either. Charlie was ecstatic!

The thing that really made Grace's night was seeing the look on her Mom and Danno's face when they found out it was her idea and how much work she had done on the planning. She knew she had finally emerged from the shadow of doubt they had about her after her disastrous outing to the beach with Jason some months earlier.

It was a terrific party. All of their Ohana was there and they kept it quiet and low-key. Just a simple barbecue on the beach, with a volleyball net and the ability to go swimming. No one wanted Charlie to be overwhelmed on his first day out of the hospital in months. It was a busy, active day for everyone.

Danny sat in one of the chaise lounges with Charlie curled up on his chest, sound asleep. Steve was sitting at the bottom of the lounger watching Joanie and Grace finish building a sandcastle as the sun was beginning to sink. Most of the guests had left and it was just their core family unit, with Chin and Leilani and Kono and Adam, who were all inside finishing up the last of the dishes.

"Wow, Steve. I can't believe everything that's happened this year. I am so happy that this little guy is going to be all right."

"Thank God, Danny. I don't know what we would have done if something had happened to Charlie."

Danny noticed that his friend had angled his back away and was wiping at his eyes. He was very touched when he realized how much the little boy meant to him.

"Well, we're lucky, babe. Nothing happened to him. The kids are all doing well, Five-0 is kicking ass and clearing the island of bad guys, and everything is right in our world."

Steve grinned over at his partner and nodded his head.

"Yup, all is well."

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

A few weeks later, Danny stood out on the lanai and watched the scene on the beach behind the house. Steve was in the water swimming. The three kids were wandering on the beach. They all had their swimsuits on but had been forbidden access to the water until Danny got out there. Steve couldn't get in his workout and watch all the kids at the same time.

Grace and Joan were looking in one of the tidal pools. There was always something cool to spot. Crabs and other marine life. Pretty colored rocks. The kids could spend hours just checking out the seashells. Charlie had wandered down the beach a little farther away from the girls. He was close to some scrubby bushes that separated the McGarrett house from Mr. and Mrs. Wong's property next door. He was just sitting on the ground playing with some sand.

Charlie was always able to entertain himself. The girls required a little more hands on attention from the adults, but Charlie could play on his own without anyone to entertain him, which was probably due to so much solitary time in the hospital. He loved being with the adults, particularly Danny and Steve, but he could also dig in the sand, build a moat, play with his soldiers, or even just sit and quietly read to himself. For his age, he was very responsible.

Danny snapped back from his thoughts when he noticed that Charlie seemed to be concentrating on something in the bushes. He decided to head over and see what the little boy was eyeing when Charlie stood up and headed deeper into the undergrowth. He reached in and pulled out something. Danny burst into a run when he realized that Charlie had some sort of animal in his arms.

"Charlie! What have you got there? That's something wild, put it down and leave it alone."

Grace and Joan had started looking at Charlie as soon as Danny was calling to him. Joanie was the first one to move, running over toward him and shouting.

"Puppy! Puppy!"

'Oh, hell.' Danny thought to himself as he picked up his pace.

Grace had reached Charlie and Joan by now. She was grinning at Danny as she yelled to him.

"It is Danno! It's a little puppy! Oh, it's so cute."

"All right, let me see. Let me see what you have Charlie?"

Danny had reached the kids by now and reached out to Charlie. Charlie pulled the puppy back into his chest rather than turning it over to Danny.

"Can we keep it Danno? Can we have a puppy?"

"I dunno, Charlie. First, let me get a look at it, okay?"

"Okay, Danno." With this Charlie thrust the little bundle of fur at Danny. By this time Steve had emerged from the water and noticed his family was all gathered further down the beach. He started jogging toward them.

Danny took the poor, bedraggled little puppy into his arms. I wasn't a brand new puppy and looked to him as though it might be around four to six months old, black and brown, some sort of mix. If he had to guess it was probably a Shepard mixed with some smaller dog. The puppy snuggled into his arms and then licked him on his chin. This led him to believe that the dog had been in a family at some point in its young life.

"What ya got there, Danno?" Steve had arrived by then.

"A puppy Unca S'eve. We has a puppy! It for us." Joanie's blue eyes were shining with her excitement.

"Now, kids, this puppy probably belongs to somebody and got lost. Don't get all excited that we're going to be keeping her. We have to find her family and return her."

Danny had already checked and the puppy was definitely female.

"Well, let's get her some water and I'll make some hamburger and rice for her. She must be starving and she was probably out here all night."

"Danny. Are you planning on bringing it into the house?" Steve was appalled.

"Listen, man, I know this isn't one of those aquatic creatures you're so fond of, but I'm not leaving her out here on the beach." Danny sounded scandalized.

He settled the puppy securely against his chest and started for the house, the three children following him like ducklings after their mama and Steve dejectedly bringing up the rear. Grace looked over her shoulder at him and then scampered back to walk beside him holding his hand.

"You'll like having a dog, Uncle Steve! They're so much fun."

Poor Grace had already had and lost two dogs in her young life. There was Danny's dog that didn't survive the quarantine when they first moved to the island. The second was the ICE agent's dog that Danny gave to Grace. He hadn't been a puppy when Grace had gotten him, and while he had made the move to Las Vegas, he didn't survive to make the move back to Hawaii. Although Grace's stints as a dog owner had been short-lived, she was like her dad and she really loved dogs.

"I'm sure we're going to find out who this dog belongs to Grace. Someone must be missing her and we will get her right back to them." Steve hoped with all his heart that would be true.

When he entered the kitchen, Danny had already gotten one of the bowls filled with water and the puppy was rapidly lapping it up. Danny had started throwing the mixture of hamburger and rice together and was cautioning Charlie and Joanie about crowding the puppy while she ate.

After they had gotten the puppy fed, Danny once again was the pied piper of the group and headed out the front door, with the puppy in his arms and the three children and Steve following in his wake.

"Where we headed, partner?" Steve questioned.

"Mrs. Wong will probably have some idea who belongs to this little darling." Danny responded as he headed onto the Wong's porch and rang their doorbell.


	53. Chapter 53

They waited a couple of minutes, the door opened and the petite, gray haired Asian lady stood beaming at the group on her porch.

"Oh, hello Danny, children, Steve! How can I help you?"

"Hi, Mrs. Wong. Have you ever seen this dog before?" Danny asked.

"I founded her. I founded her in the backyard, Mrs. Wong. Maybe she don't gots a family?" Charlie was still hopeful about keeping the puppy.

Mrs. Wong reached over and laid a tender hand on Charlie's blond little head. She really loved each of these children. She smiled at him and then turned her eye to the puppy and studied her carefully.

"Oh dear. I certainly have seen her before. It's a shame that those awful people own such a nice puppy."

"What awful people?" Danny wanted to know.

"Those people that are renting out the Edison's house." Mrs. Wong gestured to a house kiddy corner from her across the street. It wasn't on the beach side of the block and Danny didn't remember ever seeing anyone there.

"They've only been here about six months and they brought that puppy home a few weeks ago. They didn't seem like they ever took care of her. She was on a chain in the backyard most of the time. She really never barked or whined, but I would see her when I was gardening. Those renters are really unfriendly. I still speak to Mrs. Edison on occasion and she told me they were behind on their rent and she was working on an eviction order. My goodness, I wonder if the renters are even still there. I haven't seen them for a few days."

Steve released a huge sigh and his shoulders slumped. With the way his luck was going, he was fairly certain the renters had moved during the night. He exchanged looks with Danny and then turned back to Mrs. Wong.

"Mrs. Wong, can we leave the kids and the puppy with you for a few minutes? Danny and I want to go over and check the situation at that house."

"That's fine, Steve. Come on in children. I just made a fresh batch of oatmeal cookies!"

"Yay!" All three children were huge fans of Mrs. Wong's cookies.

"Kids! Manners!" Danny barked out.

"Yes, Danno." Came quietly from all three kids.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wong. We would like some cookies, please." Grace spoke for all three children and Mrs. Wong smiled, took the puppy from Danny and ushered the group into the house.

As soon as the door closed, Steve immediately whirled around to face Danny.

"You have to tell them No!"

"No dog, Steve?" Danny grinned.

"No dog, Danny! I can't believe you would even consider adding a puppy to the mayhem that is our lives." Steve responded.

They had headed over to the Edison's house. Steve noted that it seemed as though the house had recently fallen into disrepair. The yard wasn't kept up and the Edison's had always kept the house pristine. It looked like it just needed a good cleaning and some TLC. Steve tried the doorknob and it turned easily in his hand and he stepped into the house calling out, "did someone call for help?" Danny rolled his eyes and followed him.

He and Danny worked their way through the house, but it was empty. The renters must have left in the middle of the night. The house was somewhat dated, and after the renters it needed a massive cleaning and paint.

"Looks like they flew the coop." Danny noted.

"Yeah, damn that sucks. Okay now, no dog, Danny. I mean it. We just can't handle that on top of everything else."

"That's fine, babe. It's your house. I realize a dog would be a ton to take on with our schedules. I know that Rachel wasn't keen on the last dog I foisted off on her, so I'm certainly not going to broach the subject with her this time. We'll just run the little thing over to the pound."

The men returned to Mrs. Wong's house and gave her the news of the departure of the renters. She said she would call Mrs. Edison and let her know right away.

"I'm sure she's going to end up listing the house. After her husband died, her son made her move back to the mainland and they just don't plan to spend any time here from what I can tell. Before she got the renters, I know they were talking about selling. After this rental experience, I would bet they'll put the house on the market. Oh, here, Steve, here's what's left of the cookies."

Mrs. Wong handed Steve a tin foil wrapped paper plate heaped with her cookies.

"Thanks, Mrs. Wong. Sorry for interrupting your day."

The group trooped back to the McGarrett house.

"What about the puppy, Danno?" Grace asked as they approached the front door.

"Okay, kids, here's the thing. We can't keep a dog. We are going to have to take her to the pound and they'll find her a new home, okay?"

Grace looked down at the ground in front of her. She was pretty sure that was what would have to happen. She knew her mom didn't want another dog. She was disappointed, but she had been expecting it.

The two littles, however, were not expecting that news.

"But, Danno!" Charlie was already crying. "I saved her! I don't wanna take her to the pound!"

"Charlie, I'm sorry. But, that is what we are going to do."

They had all arrived on Steve's porch and he was a little surprised they hadn't heard anything from Joan. He turned and looked behind him and his heart fell to his feet.

Joan stood stock still on the driveway. She hadn't advanced a step from where she had been when Danny announced the dog was going to the pound. Huge tears filled her bright blue eyes and were just starting to drip down her cheeks. She looked absolutely heartbroken.

Steve handed the plate of cookies to Grace and started walking back to Joanie. She hiccupped and ran headlong toward him. He spread his arms to pick her up. By the time she reached him she was gasping in and out, huge breathy sobs.

"Unca S'eve! Her wuvs me! Me wuvs her! Her our puppy! Don't let Danno take her away!"

Danny could see the cracks forming in the granite exterior.

"Steven." He hissed. "Do not make me the bad guy here."

It was too late.

"Okay, princess. If you want to keep her, we will. We will give it a 30 day trial. But if it doesn't work out, she has to go, you understand, right?"

Steve was rocking Joanie in her arms. As soon as he had said "okay" she had quieted her sobbing.

Steve looked helplessly at Danny.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't break all three of their hearts in one fell swoop, Danno."

"Babe. There is no such thing as a 30 day trial in love. These kids are going to love this puppy more and more every day. It doesn't matter if she is the devil dog herself, we have now lost our one and only chance of being able to take her to the pound. Welcome to dog ownership."

Danny turned the handle to the door and let them all troop into the house. He was pretty sure he still had the contact information for the vet Rachel had used before.

The appointment was made. The kids were all sitting on the living room floor playing with the puppy and Steve and Danny were sitting on the couch.

"Okay, kids, how about a name?"

"How about Zayn, Danno!" exclaimed Grace

"Absolutely not! We are not naming this dog after that One Direction…singer." Danny swallowed the 'creep' comment he almost said. He found himself editing even more now than he had when Grace was little. She could become offended so easily and he tried to avoid that at all costs.

"Elmo!" crowed Joanie.

"Well, that's a good name, sweetie. But, it would be better for a boy dog." Danny responded.

"What about you, Charlie? You found her, do you have any good ideas?" Steve asked.

"What's 'luck' in Hawaiian Unca Steve?" the little boy asked.

"Kas." Responded Steve. Charlie considered the answer for a moment.

"How bout Kassie? Her is pretty lucky I founded her." Charlie asked.

There was a little silence as they all considered the choice. Grace was the first to grin.

"Gosh, that's a perfect name. Kassie. I like it."

"Me too." Joanie instantly piped up after Grace. If it was good enough for her hero, Grace, it was good enough for her.

"Well, looks like that's settled. Steve, you good with handling the kids while I run Kassie out to her vet appointment?

"Yeah, no problem, Danny. Okay, you guys. We're having sandwiches and soup for dinner. Everyone head to the kitchen."


	54. Chapter 54

**A/N: I am in awe and so appreciative of all the comments, faves and follows I have received on my story. I hope you are all enjoying it and here's the next chapter. I can't believe that the next reviewer will actually roll me into 300 reviews! Thanks again everyone. I am enjoying this so much.**

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Kassie settled into her new life surprisingly well. She was very smart, and the vet estimated she would be between 50 and 60 pounds. She looked like a very small German Shepherd and had pretty much reached her full size after several months had passed.

Steve was having a harder time settling into dog ownership. Dog bowls in the kitchen. Dog slobber on the floor. Dog hair throughout the house. He spent a lot of time muttering under his breath around the children and complaining out loud when it was just he and Danny. The worst part for him was that while Kassie loved each of the children and Danny, she absolutely adored Steve. Wherever he was, was where she wanted to be, every minute he was at home.

"For God's sake! Danny! Can't you keep her in the room with you?" Steve cried out from where he was sprawled in the upstairs hallway.

Danny opened his door and snorted with amusement, then quickly tried to cover it up before Steve got really mad.

Steve had taken to sleeping with his door closed because otherwise the dog would take up residence in his room. He had a few nights of being startled awake when her body would settle next to him in the bed, so now he resorted to closing his door at night to keep her out.

Kassie's response was to position herself across the threshold of Steve's bedroom door. Steve always forgot she was there and this morning he managed to trip completely over her.

"Well, babe, you have to be more careful. Did the big, bad SEAL hurt my little baby girl? Did those giant clodhoppers kick you in the side?"

Danny started crooning to the dog as he checked her over. Steve got up, rolled his eyes and headed downstairs.

Danny heard a door crack open and saw Joanie peeking out at him.

"Good Morning Kitten. Did we wake you up?"

"Yeah, Danno. Is Unca S'eve mad?"

"No! Why would you think that?"

"I hear him yelling. I don't fink he wikes Kassie vewy much. I don't want him to take her to the pound."

The little girl looked so dejected and Danny's heart just went out to her. He went over to her doorway and picked her up.

"Don't you worry Kitten. Uncle Steve just likes to be crabby. You know if he isn't yelling about Kassie, he's usually yelling at me, right? I can guarantee you neither Kassie nor I are going to the pound."

Joanie giggled softly. Danno could always make her feel better.

"All right, little Miss Munchkin, let's get you downstairs and get some breakfast in you. Then we'll get you dressed, okay?"

"Kay, Danno."

Grace woke up to the smell of the pancakes Danny was cooking and scampered downstairs to join Joanie and her dad in the kitchen. She leaned over and gave Kassie a happy morning greeting and then smiled at the little girl's milk mustache while she started talking about what they could do that day. Just then, Danny's cell phone went off and Grace frowned at it.

"Hey, none of that Monkey. It's not work, it's your Mom."

"Good Morning Rach! What? Oh, no problem, just drop him off here and we can watch him. No, it's good. We were running around like crazy on that last case, so I'm pretty sure we are getting downtime this weekend, unless something disastrous happens. Okay, see you in a little bit. Bye."

"Okay, kids, Rachel has some fundraising committee plans with the other fundraising ladies, so she's bringing Charlie over here. Let's get everyone dressed so that Commander McCrabby doesn't have any reason to keep yelling at us."

With that, he winked at Joan, got her out of her high chair and sent both she and Grace upstairs to get ready for the day, confident that Grace would do her usual good job of helping Joanie.

When Rachel arrived, he hurried out to the car to gather up Charlie and his belongings so she didn't have to come to the door.

"I packed an overnight bag for him, Danny. I really don't plan to be gone that long, but he really wants to stay overnight here. Is that all right?"

"That's no problem, babe. Steve and I haven't seen much of any of the kids this week. It'll be nice to spend some time with him. You just spend the today and tomorrow having some Rachel time. I'll drop both he and Joanie at Wee Care on Monday and you can get them in the afternoon. Does that work for you?"

At Rachel's nod, Danny grinned and turned away with the little boy in his arms.

"Come on Tiger! Did you have breakfast? I still have some pancake batter left."

"I love pancakes, Danno!"

"I know you do, big guy. How many do you think you can eat?"

Rachel watched her ex-husband and their little son until they disappeared into the house. She smiled as she put the car into gear. She was so pleased that they had managed to get through all their dilemmas and come out the other side, still intact as a family.

Steve had come in from his swim and headed upstairs to shower and change. Danny, Grace, the littles and Kassie were all ranged in the living room and Grace was trying to show Danny some problems with her math homework. As Danny and Grace became absorbed in the problems, with Danny beginning to mutter angrily at the paper, the littles wandered off to the kitchen without either Danny or Grace noticing. Within a minute or so, Kassie got up and ambled after them.

Shortly afterward, Steve came downstairs and leaned over Danny's shoulder to see what obviously had both Grace and Danny stumped. He grabbed a pencil and began showing Grace a simple formula for solving it. She beamed gratefully at him while Danny shook his head.

"It's called Naval Intelligence for a reason, Danno." Steve smirked. He then headed off to the kitchen to make some coffee.

"DANNY!"

"What's wrong, now?"

His partner definitely sounded angry. Danny sauntered into the kitchen with Grace in his wake. The two of them stared open-mouthed at the scene in front of them. The two littles were sitting on the floor, with the canister of flour that Danny had been using for the pancakes sitting open between them. They were covered head to toe in flour and so was Kassie, the table, the floor.

"Um, it slipped, Danno." Charlie stared at him innocently.

"Yeah, it fwipped." Joanie was no stranger to backing up her partner in crime.

"Oh, brother, I'll bet it slipped. All right, Steven, you want the kids or the dog?"

"What? What are you talking about?

"Do you want to clean kids or clean the dog?" Danny enunciated each word carefully and was the picture of patience personified.

"I don't want to clean either!"

"Well, too bad, babe, we're a team, and as a team you have to pick your team assignment. So pick."

It was all Danny could do not to laugh.

"Fine. I'll take the kids. But, I get Gracie to help me."

"Well, that seems fair. Two kids, one dog. No problem. We'll meet here to clean up the kitchen after the littles are squared away."

Steve wasn't happy that toddler clean-up was the way he got to spend his first morning off in over a week. He spent the whole time grumbling and giving Kassie the evil eye.

"Look, Steven. It's not the dog's fault. It's just something that happened and it's not even a big something, okay? Why don't you go spend some time with the hunk of junk in the garage and try to get in a better mood?"

"Fine."

Steve stomped off. As soon as he was out of sight, Danny turned on the two culprits.

"All right you two. You need to be more careful. Uncle Steve doesn't like it when things aren't tidy and clean, you know that. You need to try harder to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Okay, Danno. Sorry."

The two littles were beginning to have the combined apology down to a science. Danny sighed heavily. Only sixteen more years he thought to himself with a rueful smile.

Working on the car seemed to perk Steve up and they ended up ordering pizza for dinner and watching a couple of movies on TV before getting the kids settled for the night.

When Sunday dawned, Steve got up early, got everyone into swimsuits and they hit the beach early for swimming lessons. Joan and Charlie were improving by leaps and bounds and were able to paddle around without an adult being quite on top of them, and Grace was turning into a really strong, confident, swimmer. Even Kassie loved the water.

Steve grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs for dinner Sunday night. When Joanie tried to sneak some of her chicken to Kassie under the table, Steve took it away.

"Dogs do not eat people food, princess. Especially not people food that I have spent my hard earned money on. Dog food is good enough for her."

Danny waited until Steve was inside getting them a couple of Longboards and then he slipped Kassie some of his chicken that he had saved for her. All three of the children gave him big smiles and then went into the house to get ready for bed.

In spite of Saturday's flour disaster, they had all enjoyed a wonderful, and wonderfully quiet weekend together.


	55. Chapter 55

**A/N: Once again, thanks for all the comments, faves and follows! It certainly makes the muse much more active to know that people are enjoying my little story! I am posting the next chapter a day early, I hope no one minds! :)**

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The following weekend, the Kassie argument started early Saturday morning, after Steve once again stumbled over Kassie in the hallway. He cornered Danny in the kitchen where the littles couldn't hear them.

"Danny, that dog was all over the hallway again. I don't see why we can't just crate it at night."

"Aw, Steve, if you really want to do that we could, but any dog I've ever had we just gave them free run of the house as soon as they were housetrained. Plus, I hate to crate her when we're home, especially since she's crated a lot of times while we're at work. If you want, I'll make sure she's in my room with me at night."

"You always say that, and you always forget."

Steve knew he was beginning to sound fairly petulant, especially when Danny just heaved out a huge sigh and pinned him with that look. That look that told Steve he was pressing Danny's buttons.

"Okay, Steve, why don't you go get your swim and you'll feel better? I'll start getting the kids up and ready for the day. Grace still has a little homework I'd like her to finish and then we can head out."

"You know, Danny, you can't just send me out swimming whenever this mutt is on my nerves."

The smirk Danny directed at Steve was absolutely maddening to the man, and he went to get ready for a swim, mumbling under his breath. Danny headed upstairs to get the littles up and moving for the day and whistled to Kassie to stay with him so she would be out from under Steve's feet.

While Steve was swimming, Danny was sitting on the lanai working on more homework with Grace. He was beginning to hate math even more than he had when he was Grace's age. Kassie was lying under the table at their feet. He had set Joan and Charlie up with bacon and egg wrap sandwiches and they were in the chairs down by the shoreline, waiting for Steve to emerge from the ocean.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw a large, stray dog, quickly heading toward the little children, growling. It had obviously been attracted by the smell of their food. Before Danny could even move, Kassie had flown from the lanai out onto the beach, barking and yelping and flung herself on the other dog before it could approach the children any farther. It was an epic, albeit short, dogfight, which was interrupted when Danny grabbed his service pistol and fired a couple of shots into the air, which startled the larger dog and it took off.

Steve almost had a heart attack in the water when he heard the sound of the gun. He made the fastest swim back to shore he had ever made in his life, even when he was a decade younger and an active SEAL. He found Joanie and Charlie sitting in the chairs crying, Grace tearing strips from the towel he had left on one of the chairs and Danny wrapping the strips around Kassie's bloody leg. After hearing the frantic story from the littles, Steve directed Grace to run and get Mrs. Wong, so she could watch the littles while he and Danny ran the dog to the vet.

Steve picked up the injured, bleeding little dog while Danny ran ahead to the Silverado to get the doors open. Danny hopped into the back seat so that Steve could hand Kassie in to him. Danny was settled in his seat with her head lying across his lap, and she was softly whimpering and watching him with trusting eyes that made his heart clench. Steve caught his eye in the rear view mirror.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Danny's voice was pretty shaky as he continued.

"Some of these gashes are pretty deep, so I think she's gonna need stitches. The vet will have to tell us what to do about rabies too. I hope nothing happens to her. Those little kids will be destroyed."

"What the hell happened?"

"She reminded me of you in dog form, Steve."

Danny was trying for humor, but it fell flat.

"What do you mean by that, Danny?"

"I mean that she has really good protective instincts. The minute she saw that other dog, she took off to defend the littles. I never saw a dog move so fast in my life. She just threw herself on that other dog without any concern for herself. Believe me, saying she's just like you is a compliment."

Steve glared at Danny in the rear view mirror and made a growling sound deep in his throat. Danny chuckled and thought to himself 'yep, just like you, babe.'

They got to the vet's office in record time. Danny figured that was a reflection on how worried Steve actually was. The good news was that Kassie only needed her wounds cleaned out, a few stitches and some doggie antibiotics. They got back home and thanked Mrs. Wong for once again being there in an emergency. When Danny called Rachel to tell her what happened, she told him to just bring Grace, the littles and Kassie to her house when he and Steve went to work on Monday, rather than leaving her in the McGarrett house alone.

When they went to bed that night, Danny made sure that Kassie was in his room with him all night. He checked on her a couple of times, but she seemed to be handling her injuries in a very stoic manner. 'Still reminds me of Super Seal' Danny thought to himself.

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Sunday passed quietly with the littles, Grace and Danny all fawning over Kassie during the day. Sunday night Steve grilled chicken and steak for everyone and Danny chuckled to himself when he realized that there was a steak just for Kassie.

"Going soft, babe?"

"The protein is good for her, Danny. She's the kids' dog after all, and she needs to gain back her strength from all the blood she lost. I'm only doing this because of the kids."

"You keep telling yourself that Super Seal."

Danny was further amused on Monday after they arrived at HQ, when he overheard Steve regaling Chin, Kono and Lou about how Kassie had gone into action to protect the littles. He actually sounded quite proud of their little dog. At different times during the day, he caught him telling Duke, Pua and Max and over lunch he filled in Kamekona and Flippa on what had happened. Danny wouldn't have been surprised to find out Steve had made a report to the Governor during their weekly conference call.

Danny's cell phone rang a few hours after they had gotten to work. It was Rachel and he couldn't believe his ears. Since Danny had mentioned over the past few months how much Steve did not want a dog, Rachel was calling to offer that Kassie could live at her house. Danny knew she really didn't want a dog either, but a hero was due her just rewards. Danny told Rachel he'd talk to Steve and then they could probably move Kassie's few dog possessions over that night or the next.

Steve looked up to see Danny standing in his doorway and noted he had one of those half smiles on his face, which meant that whatever he was about to say, he wasn't very happy about.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Well, you're gonna get your wish, Steven. Rachel just told me she's willing to take Kassie. So, we can move her over there. The littles and Grace don't have to do without the dog and you get a canine free zone."

"What! Are you crazy?! You can't do that. She's our dog, she lives with us."

Danny just gaped at Steve, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish, but for once in his life he was completely speechless. Although it didn't last long.

"What are you talking about! You're the one that has been bitching and moaning since we found her that you don't want a dog. Now that you have the chance to re-home her, you're not going to? Who are you and what have you done with Steve McGarrett?"

"Danny, don't be ridiculous. A dog like that, with those great instincts, will be an asset to have around the house. Plus, the kids love her. I don't mind if Rachel takes her when she has all the kids but her home is at our house, okay?"

Danny stood there staring at his partner for a few minutes, then finally quietly responded.

"Okay, Steve."

As he walked away, Steve overheard Danny muttering to himself.

"A person could get whiplash the way that gigantic goof changes his mind."

Shaking his head bemusedly, Danny returned to his office to call Rachel and tell her the latest "update from the land of Commander Cuckoo" as he phrased it.

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As soon as Danny left his office, Steve, the google king, began researching dog trainers. He wanted to work with Kassie to hone her protective instincts while preserving her good nature around the children. To his happy surprise, he was able to find the perfect trainer when he discovered that one of his old Navy buddies had set up shop on the North Shore and was training dogs in just the manner Steve wanted.

After her first few weeks of training his buddy Ross approached Steve after one of their sessions.

"Any chance you want to expand your work with Kassie?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm going to be starting an agility class for dogs and I think Kassie would be a perfect candidate. She's really smart."

Steve beamed with pride. Steve and Ross spoke for a few minutes about what agility classes would entail and then Steve signed them up. They were held early Saturday mornings and he just had to add in some extra training during the week.

The first weekend the team had off, Steve headed out with Joanie and returned home with the materials to put together a little agility course off to the side of the yard. He actually found it very relaxing after work hours to spend time outside in the evening, training with Kassie. She was the perfect companion for him. She swam, ran, and absolutely crushed the agility course.

And so it came to be that Steve, the one who was adamantly against having the dog in the first place, ended up spending the most time with her while he trained her into an incredibly efficient and protective family and guard dog. However the thing that constantly had Danny shaking his head in perplexity, was that most nights of the week, when Steve headed up to bed, he would whistle for Kassie and take her upstairs with him. Where she slept cuddled in the bed right next to him.


	56. Chapter 56

**A/N: Wow! You guys are awesome! I have received so many wonderful comments, I really appreciate each and every one of them. In response to the lovely bswindle20 who was hoping that there would still be a chapter today, even though I posted early yesterday, thanks to the lovely comments, have an extra chapter. It's the new story arc and I hope you all like it.**

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Steve was whistling as he headed out of the Palace. They had just finished a particularly grueling week. But they had finished it, and on an up note. The case was closed. The bad guys were in jail, except for the one that was in the morgue.

The weekend was clear ahead of them. He had just gotten off the phone with Danny, who was stopping by the DA's office to look at some photos and walk the DA through one of their cases before it went to trial next week.

Steve was on his way to pick up Grace, Joan and Kassie from Rachel's. They had already arranged that Danny would pick up a pizza on his way home. The weekend ahead of them looked quiet and pleasant, and he was looking forward to a bit of a rest.

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Danny had finalized things in DA Grayson's office. He thought the DA finally had a good understanding of what Danny had been trying to explain to him regarding the sightlines in the photographs. Danny was hopeful that the trial would be a fast and easy one. He felt the perp was going away for a long time and that made everything they went through on a daily basis worth it. As he was leaving the building, he saw Ellie Clayton also about to exit.

"Hey, Ellie! How ya doing?"

"Well, Detective Williams! A pleasure to see you today. I hope you and Mike Grayson had a successful meeting?"

"We sure did. I think that thug is going to be getting used to prison food for a long time."

"It's nice to win one." Ellie responded. Danny nodded his agreement.

"Hey, I'm glad I ran into you. I've been meaning to call and thank you for representing Rachel in court on severing Stan's parental rights and having me legally declared Charlie's father. I was a little worried we might have had some problems since Charlie is almost four, but you did a great job on all of that."

"You're welcome Danny. I was happy to do it. We even got lucky with the judge we were assigned, so it went fairly smoothly. I'm glad I was also able to get Rachel an official separation order. She seems reluctant to pursue a divorce, but at least this will keep Stanley out of their lives."

They continued walking out into the sunlight, chatting in a friendly fashion about cases and their plans for the weekend.

Suddenly, a barrage of gunfire rang out around them. Danny pushed Ellie down to the ground with a shout and shielded her with his body. He pulled his gun and tried to get a bead on where the shooter was located amid the chaos of people running and screaming all around them.

There was more gunfire and then a burning pain, first in his upper left arm and then his left leg. He knew he was hit, but he needed to protect Ellie. He fumbled trying to reach his cell phone and cursed when he dropped it and it skittered away from him.

Thankfully, he could hear approaching sirens in the distance. He looked around and saw the SWAT vans pulling into the parking lot and the officers were pounding in their direction. Right behind them, he saw Chin's Mustang and Lou's Silverado pulling up behind the SWAT vans. By that time, the firing had stopped.

"Ellie, you okay? Are you okay, Ellie?" Danny said as he rolled away from her. Ellie moaned as he moved.

"Oh, God, Danny. Oh God. Yes, I'm okay. I've been hit, but I think it's just a graze. It doesn't seem so bad."

Ellie's voice was full of pain, but she seemed lucid and aware.

Danny's adrenaline spiked as he worried how badly she had been injured. He pushed himself to sit up and check, but couldn't understand why he was so weak and having such a hard time getting his balance.

"Brah! Stay still." Chin had reached them.

"Chin, check Ellie. I think she's hurt. You have to find the shooter. I think he's on the rooftop and to the left."

"SWAT's on it, Danny. Relax. Lou's checking on Ellie. It looks like it's just a graze. Let me check you out. Come on, sit back, man. "

Danny had still been struggling to sit up, so Chin gave up on trying to get him to lie flat, and propped him up against the wall he had pushed Ellie against when the shooting started and began checking him over. He exchanged glances over Danny's head with Lou, who immediately began screaming for the EMT's.

"Chin! Are you sure Ellie is okay? Lou's yelling for the medics, she might be hurt bad."

"Danny! Stay still. She just got grazed. She's all right." The normally impassive Chin's voice was shaking.

Danny looked at Chin and couldn't figure out why his friend was now bare chested. He finally realized that Chin had taken off his Aloha shirt and was pressing it against Danny's leg which was bleeding profusely.

"Did I get hit, Chin? Man, I don't even feel it. It can't be too bad. I'm sorry to wreck your shirt."

Danny was starting to feel a little lightheaded. Must be the adrenaline dump he thought to himself. Maybe he could just close his eyes for a minute.

"Danny! Stay awake! You hear me! Stay awake man."

That was Lou, he was patting Danny's cheek, and he sounded really upset.

Danny looked at him. Lou was in his tee shirt and was pressing his shirt to Danny's shoulder with the hand that wasn't assaulting his cheek.

"Is it shirtless Friday and no one told me?" he complained. "Ah, man, lighten up Lou, you're killing me here, man!" He tried to twist away from Lou's grip.

"Danny, stay still. I know it hurts, but I have to keep pressure on that bleeder. I think it may have nicked an artery. Stay still."

"Oh, thank God." Chin said. "Here's the EMT's."

One of the EMT's was checking on Ellie, while the other hustled over to Danny with her bag.

"Detective Williams! Hi, I'm Lisa. Let me check your shoulder, okay?"

She was obviously familiar with the team. In fact, most of the EMT's on the island were familiar with the team.

She nudged Lou back and checked Danny's shoulder quickly. She pulled a container of Quick Clot out of her bag and applied it to Danny's wound, which began to lessen the bleeding immediately. She then moved Chin's hands and shirt out of the way to get a look at Danny's leg. Chin observed her lips tighten and her eyes narrow, and he knew she didn't like what she was seeing any more than he did.

"How's that one, Sammy?" She asked her partner.

"She's okay. Just a graze. I've bandaged it up, but she should probably get transported so the doc can check her. She doesn't need an ambulance ride though, someone could just bring her over in a car."

"Good, because we're going to scoop and go with this guy. I really don't like the look of this leg wound. He needs to be in the OR like yesterday. Get the gurney over here stat."

They quickly did their work getting Danny ready for transport and confirmed with Lou and Chin that one of them would bring Ellie along to the hospital.

Danny was still conscious, and pulled his oxygen mask off his face.

"One of you guys better call McGarrett. He's not gonna be happy to miss his pizza." He mumbled as they moved his gurney to the back of the ambulance.

Lou looked at Chin.

"Hey, I'm the new guy. I think the guy with experience should do the potentially lethal job. Ms. Clayton, my truck is right over here. Let's get you settled in there and I'll get you to the hospital right away."

With that, Lou took Ellie over to his truck, got her in and drove off.

Chin sighed deeply, took his phone out of his pocket and hit speed dial #3.

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**A/N: I am not a medical professional so the medical details will not be accurate, I am sure. Suspend disbelief! It's fiction!**


	57. Chapter 57

**A/N: Once again, the comments I have received were just overwhelmingly awesome. They make me want to write more, faster, and better stories. So thank you one and all. Now, let's see what's going to happen next, shall we?**

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Steve was chatting amiably with Rachel while Grace finished packing up what she needed. As she got older, the number of bags she traveled with was becoming alarming. Joan was all ready to go and Charlie was a little dejected that he wasn't going with, but Rachel wanted to keep him for the weekend. Steve and Rachel were negotiating on where Kassie would be spending the weekend.

Steve's phone rang and he smiled when he saw Chin's number. He hoped Chin wanted to do a little spear fishing on Sunday. He shifted Joan to his hip while he dug his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Hey, Chin, what's happening?"

He stopped speaking and his face hardened into granite. He looked grimly at Rachel, who blanched immediately at the look on his face. Grace walked in the room and the minute she saw Steve, she knew something was wrong.

"Okay, Queen's, Chin? Any idea how bad? Is the shooter locked down? Is there any sign that Ellie or Danny was the target?"

Steve listened for a moment and Rachel reached behind her to feel for a chair, as she was suddenly feeling faint. Steve looked at her in alarm for a moment, but she pressed her lips together and gave him a quick head nod to let him know she was fine.

"Until we know what's going on, I want a couple HPD squad cars here at Rachel's – you'll take care of that? All right, I'm coming right now. You better call Kono too."

Steve pushed the "off" button on his cell phone, put it back in his pocket and held his free arm out to Grace. She immediately ran over and put her arms around his waist. She already had tears falling down her cheeks.

"Okay, I don't know much, so let's not anyone panic. That was Chin. There was a shooter at the DA's offices on the terrace outside. Several people were shot. My friend Ellie was one and Danny was another."

Grace gasped and Steve stopped for a moment to hug her a little tighter.

"Ellie's wound seems superficial. Danny's a little worse. He was shot a couple of times, shoulder and leg. Chin doesn't know how bad. They are transporting him to Queens and I'm going to head over there. Rachel, can you hang onto the kids and Kassie?"

As he spoke, Steve handed Joanie to Rachel, who gathered the little girl into a cuddle and held her tight.

"Yes, of course, as long as you need me to. Steve, please don't leave me in the dark here. Be sure and call as soon as you know anything, okay?"

"I promise Rachel. The instant I have any news, I'll be on the phone to you."

He then turned back to Grace and put both hands on her shoulders and looked her gently in the eye.

"Gracie, I will let you and your Mom know how Danno is doing as soon as I find out, okay? You just remember what a tough guy your dad is, okay? Nothing keeps Danno down for long, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Steve."

Grace was scared, but she didn't want to frighten the littles, so she was trying very hard to be brave. Steve hugged her tightly once again, then released her and went to kneel in front of a very wide-eyed Charlie.

"Okay, buddy. I'm gonna go and check and see how our guy is doing, right? I'll call your Mom as soon as I can."

Charlie didn't really understand everything, but he watched TV and he knew 'shot' was not a good thing. He reached his little arms to hug Steve and said quietly.

"Tell Danno me love him, Unca Steve."

Steve swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You bet, buddy, I'll tell him how much we all love him."

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Steve burst through the doors of the Queens ER to find Chin, Lou and Ellie all waiting for him.

"So, what's the status?"

"They took him to the OR immediately. I spoke with the ER doctor that saw him. They were somewhat worried about the artery in his shoulder that was nicked, but they're more worried about the wound to his leg. The doctor said it's pretty bad and he's hoping…." Chin faltered for a minute. "He said they're hoping he'll keep the leg."

"Holy hell!" Steve swore in shock.

Lou chimed in

"We waited for you to get here, but let's get headed up to the OR waiting room on 3. Kono is already up there. She wanted to be sure someone was there in case they needed any information on Danny. The doctor will come and talk to us when they're done."

Everyone began heading to the elevators and Steve reached an arm out to Ellie.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Danny protected me. He covered me with his body. They actually think that the bullet that grazed me was the through and through from his shoulder. The doctor thinks that's why my injury isn't so bad, the trajectory of the bullet was already reduced from hitting Danny's body."

At this she took a stuttering sob.

"Ellie, you need to get home."

"No. I can't go until I know how Danny is. Really, Steve, I'm okay, but I can't go sit at home without knowing that Danny is going to be okay."

Steve understood the feeling, so he draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her along with him to the elevator.

When they got to the OR waiting room, Steve stepped away to call Rachel and fill her in. Even though he still knew basically nothing, he wanted to make sure he kept her as up to date as he possibly could.

While they were there waiting, the new SWAT commander arrived and updated Steve, Chin, Kono and Lou on the shooting scene. There had been one shooter and he had been brought down by SWAT. HPD was attempting to find out any details on the man, but he didn't have identification so they were starting with facial recognition and witness statements.

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Four hours later and a pacing Steve McGarrett was just about ready to rip the Operating Room doors off their hinges. Luckily for everyone, the doctor finally emerged. A very tired looking doctor in what were obviously brand new scrubs. Steve tried not to focus on what that meant.

"Commander McGarrett? I'm Dr. Shoana. You might remember I operated on your arm last year?"

Steve sheepishly did remember. The man had been on the receiving end of an impatiently healing Steve's tirades.

"Yeah. Dr. Shoana. How's my partner?"

"Well, the good news is he's kept his leg. For now. Let me fill you in. His shoulder wound is bad, the artery was nicked, but the prognosis on that is good. It should heal well and as long as he does his PT, I don't anticipate any problems. The leg wound is another story."

They all looked fairly grim and the doctor continued.

"In short, his leg is a mess. The bullet went into the thigh and it bounced around in there a bit and caused quite a bit of muscular and tissue damage. I repaired what I could. I was really afraid for a bit that it wasn't going to be enough, but I believe I was able to put it back together enough that it will heal properly. "

He let everyone take a minute to digest that and continued.

"Now, if we're lucky and he avoids infection or any kind of setback, here's my prognosis. He's going to be here in the hospital for at least a week, possibly a little longer. We're going to get him up and moving as soon as possible, but frankly his PT is going to be a bitch because of the shoulder injury. He's going to have a tough time supporting his body to get his leg moving. But, we'll do what we can here and then we are going to discharge him to a rehab facility.

"Rehab? Not home?"

"No Commander. He is going to need extensive rehab. I anticipate he will be in-patient rehab for at least two months, possibly three. After that, depending on how he is healing, I would anticipate another three months at home. Then he could possibly return to limited desk duty with field duty far, far down the road. If ever. Does he have a main floor bedroom at home?"

"Ah, no, no he doesn't. That going to be an issue for his recovery?"

"Actually, Commander, that may be an issue for his long term living situation. There was a LOT of damage done by the bullet. Obviously we're not God. We don't know how well someone is going to come back from these things. But, even if Detective Williams makes a full recovery and returns to field duty, I would still recommend that he try and arrange his living situation to have as little stairs as possible on a daily basis. I understand from his chart that he also has ACL issues and now with this injury, it is just going to make sense for him."

"Steve. Brah. One step at a time. Let's get him out of the hospital before we start worrying about where he's going to be living three months from now, okay?" That was Chin's sensible advice


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N: You guys are the absolute best reviewers anyone could ever have. Love all your great ideas for plot twists and story lines! Keep 'em coming!**

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Lou offered to call Clara and Eddie Williams and Steve took him up on it. He liked Danny's mom and dad, but he knew that Clara and Lou had formed a nice friendship when she visited the island. He thought it would be an easier call for her to receive from Lou. He also hoped that she would think that if he weren't the one calling, that maybe things weren't too bad. He told Lou to tell them know he would call himself in the morning, when they had more information.

Steve called Rachel and after filling her in on everything, he spoke to Grace for a little bit. He reassured her that Danny was sleeping. She was still too young to visit in the ICU, but he promised that when Danny was moved to a regular room, with the doctor's permission, Steve would bring her to see him.

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Danny came around very slowly. Before he opened his eyes, he tried to suss out his surroundings. He could hear the sounds of the heart monitor and could feel the blood pressure cuff on his arm.

So, hospital again. He thought quietly to himself.

The palm of his hand felt overly warm and he felt pressure on it. He wondered if it was some sort of a monitoring device. He slowly started to recall the shooting, then Chin and Lou being there, he thought he might have been shot in the hand and that was what the pressure was. Suddenly he remembered Ellie had been with him and been shot. His heartbeat spiked and his eyes shot open.

The pressure on his hand increased and he looked around to see Steve looming over him, his hand was engulfed in Steve's massive paw.

"Danny. Settle down. You're okay. You're in the hospital. Calm down, man."

Danny tried to settle, but his eyes were darting all over the room. The nurse came running in just as Danny choked out one word.

"Ellie?"

"She's okay, man. She's good. Just a graze. She's at home. She said to tell you thank you. She'll be here as soon as the docs let her, okay? Settle down. Relax."

Danny's heart rate started to ease back down and the nurse lost her alarmed look and began checking his vitals. She shot a look at Steve.

"Let's keep him calm, Commander. I really don't want to have the argument with you to get you out of here, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Danny looked down at where their hands were still joined.

"We … goin' … steady … Steven?"

His voice was weak and unsteady and he was obviously having a hard time forcing the words out.

"No Danny. I hold hands with everyone that scares the crap out of me."

One side of Danny's mouth quirked into a little smirk and his eyes drifted closed.

"I … can't believe … I … got shot … and it … wasn't your … your …. fault, babe."

"Danny. I'm not responsible for everything that goes wrong with you, you know."

Steve was pleased that Danny was poking at him. To him that was normal behavior so he was hoping that they would come out the other end of this okay.

"Rach … Grace … the kids?" Danny laboriously breathed out each inquiry. He was exhausted, but his priorities were always in the right place.

"They're good, man. I've been keeping them updated on you. Charlie said to tell you he loves you. We all love you man, hang in there."

Danny's eyes were closed, but they shot open again at Steve's words.

"Crap. Am .. I … dyin'?"

"What? No! You're not dying! What the hell are you talking about?"

"You … love me .. St'vn." With that Danny was out like a light.

Steve looked at him for a minute and looked at their joined hands.

"Yeah, man I do."

Steve waited until he was sure that his partner was going to be out for a while, then he left the room and strode down the hall to the waiting room, pressing his cell phone to his ear. He started talking as soon as the other end connected.

"Rachel? Yeah, he was awake. Just for a minute. He's out again. Yeah. I was able to talk to him briefly. He was lucid, kept asking if you guys were okay. Take it easy. Take it easy, Rachel. Stop crying. You need to get it together, okay? Do it for the kids. Are they okay? Yeah, give them all a kiss good night for me, okay? I'm going to stay overnight here. I don't want to have something go wrong and then have to waste time getting over here. Call or text if you need me."

Steve keyed the phone off, sat down in the empty ICU waiting room and put his head in his hands. If anyone would have asked, he would have told them he was just taking a moment to re-group. After a few minutes, he stood up, wiped his eyes, and strode back down the hall to the nurses station to advise them that he would be in his partners' room all night. After all, they still did not know whether Danny had been the intended target.

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Steve jerked awake at the sound of click, click, clicking that came down the hall and stopped at the doorway to Danny's room. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, sat up in his chair by the hospital bed, and squinted at the doorway. He made out Rachel's figure standing at the door. She was looking sadly at Danny lying there, so quiet and still.

Steve checked out his partner and noted that Danny was sleeping more peacefully than he had during the night. He got out of his chair and walked over to Rachel and pulled her back out into the hallway. He took her arm and walked her down the hall to the SICU waiting room.

"Hey. How you doing? How are the kids?"

"I'm all right, Steve. The kids are upset, but I have dropped Grace at school and Charles and Joan at day care. I told them all that Danny is going to be just fine, so life is going to continue without any special excuses. You look absolutely exhausted! Did he have a bad night?"

"Yeah. He was pretty restless. Kept waking up and couldn't seem to keep it in his head that Ellie was all right. Trust Danny to be worried about everyone else, instead of his own damn self."

Rachel smiled at this, then she looked sternly at him.

"All right now, Steve. You need to head home and get some sleep. You can't stay here 24/7. You have to take care of yourself too or you're not going to do Daniel any good at all. The children are all taken care of until 3:00 when I go pick them up. Go home. Sleep. I will be here with Danny until you get back. All right?"

Steve really wanted to argue with her but since he was too tired to even formulate the argument, he figured that she had a point.

"Yeah, okay Rachel. Thanks. I'll be back about 2:30. But, call me immediately if there's any change, okay?"

"Fine."

Rachel reached over and touched Steve's arm. Then she squared her shoulders and click, click, clicked her way back to Danny's room.

Steve headed for the elevator and for a few hours of sleep.

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Rachel was there when the doctor came through on his rounds. Danny was still pretty out of it, although he woke briefly while the doctor was poking around at him. When the doctor was done, she followed him into the hallway.

"Dr. Shoana. How is he doing?"

"Actually, better than I would have expected at this point. He seems to be staving off any infection, which with his wounds is going to be a blessing. I expect that he is going to become more aware as the day progresses. He is hooked up to a morphine pump which he can control. Try to keep a handle on his pain level, the best healing will come if he can stay ahead of the pain, and this 5-0 team all seems adverse to pain relief."

Rachel smiled at the doctor.

"Don't you worry. I will make sure that he follows all medical instructions. After the fright he has given me, I don't think he will be able to deny me anything."

At that, she turned and went back in to be with Danny.

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Danny woke again. It seemed that he had been waking and passing out for days now, but that couldn't be right, could it? He looked around for Steve and was a little startled to see Rachel sitting by his bed.

"Rach? What…. You …okay? Why are … you here? Everything … okay with … the kids?"

"Oh, Danny. Shush. Everything is fine with the children. How are you feeling?"

Rachel reached over and held the hand on his good arm in both of hers.

"Man, my … leg is killing … me. How bad .. is it? Be honest … 'kay?"

"It's bad, Danny. But, the doctor says that with rehab you'll be fine. I don't want you to talk about this now. All you need to do is focus on healing, all right? We need you to get better fast so you can get into a regular room. Grace needs to be able to see you and they won't let her into ICU. Do it for Grace, okay Danny?"

"Okay … honey." Danny let his eyes drift closed again.

Rachel bit her lip. It was a long time since he had called her honey. All her old fears were surfacing again, but she was doing a good job of beating them back. She swore to herself she was not going to be that frightened person ever again. She was going to face this latest challenge and get through it without letting down Danny, Grace, Charlie, herself, or anyone else in their Ohana.

Steve returned promptly at 2:00. He still looked worried but he looked far more rested after a couple of hours sleep and a swim. Rachel filled him in on Danny's condition and made a point of telling him what the doctor had said about staying ahead of the pain. Then they changed places for the day. Steve had spoken to the Governor and had also called Chin and Kono. They were coming over after work with Lou. Lou was planning to take Steve to grab a bite to eat while Chin and Kono stayed with Danny for a couple of hours.


	59. Chapter 59

**A/N: I am so thrilled and happy with all the comments, faves and follows! I am glad that this story is still being enjoyed! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

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When Rachel got home with the kids, she put the two littles down for a nap. She asked Grace to come join her in the kitchen and she made a cup of tea for herself and some cocoa for Grace. She told Grace she knew she was old enough to understand what had happened to her father and she wanted to talk to her and explain his condition and answer any questions Grace had.

Grace looked at the floor for a few minutes and then looked up at her Mom. She was chewing on her lower lip and finally asked her question.

"Is Danno going to die Mommy?"

Tears welled in Rachel's eyes. She squared her shoulders and looked her little girl directly in the eye.

"No, Grace. I think your father is going to be fine. Your father is a very strong and very stubborn man. He has come through the surgery well, and that's really important. He is going to need all of us to be strong and to take care of each other and take care of him when he gets home. But, the bullet did a lot of damage, Grace. Your father is going to have to do a lot of rehab and we don't know if he will come back from it 100% or not. We'll just have to wait and see."

Grace nodded and tried to smile through her tears. As far as Rachel was concerned, she was her father through and through. Although always quiet and reserved, she had an inner fire and determination that she had earned as the daughter of a cop.

The two spent time together quietly talking. When it seemed that Grace had exhausted her litany of worries about Danny, Rachel suggested that they call her grandparents to update them.

Grace spoke to Clara Williams for a while and then looked worriedly at her Mom.

"Grandma wants to talk to you."

"That's fine, Grace. Head upstairs and work on your homework and I will call you for dinner, all right? Tell Grandma good-bye now."

"Bye Grandma. We'll try and call you tomorrow. I love you."

She handed the phone to Rachel and headed upstairs. Rachel steeled herself for the conversation with her former mother-in-law. She had always liked Clara, but they had not spoken since she had divorced Danny, even after all the revelations about Charlie.

"Hello Clara."

"Hi Rachel. How are you?"

"Well, obviously pretty worried Clara. I'm fine, but I'm just so concerned about Danny."

"I know you are, but don't you worry. My Daniel is a fighter. You know he was a preemie and he fought and survived that. He's fought all his life to get where he is and nothing has ever defeated him. It may knock him down for a little bit, but nothing has ever defeated him and this won't either. Honey, when I asked how are you, I really do mean that. How are YOU?"

Rachel always knew Clara had a big heart, but she was quite surprised at the concern. She was well aware that after Matt's death, Clara and Eddie had to be frantic at the possibility of losing their remaining son. Yet, she still thought to be concerned about Rachel.

Rachel inhaled a deep breath and her exhale was a little bit of a sob. She proceeded to fill Clara in on how Danny was really doing, what the doctor had to say, how worried Grace, Charlie and Joan were about him, how Charles was so attached to him and really worried because neither Danny or Steve were around.

They ended up being on the phone for over an hour and Rachel felt so relieved to be able to share all her worries. She felt a little badly toward the end of the conversation that she had unloaded all of that on Danny's mother and she told her so.

"Rachel, that's what family is for. No matter that you and Danny are divorced, you still belong to this family. You are the mother to both of those grandbabies, and let me tell you how thrilled I am about that. You have always been a marvelous mother. Every couple goes through ups and downs. You and Danny have, but from what he has been telling me the last several months, you have also managed to become friends after all this time. You are important to him and you are important to me. Don't forget that. Now, remember to tell Danny his Pop and I love him and we're waiting for him to get stronger to come and see him. You call me tomorrow and let me know how he's doing, all right?"

"All right, Clara. How about if Grace and I call you when she gets home from school tomorrow?"

"Thanks, Rachel. I'd like to talk to Charlie too, if it's all right with you. It's so hard not to be there right now, but it helps to know that my baby is in such good hands. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye."

Rachel hung up the phone. A year ago she would not have been able to believe that she and Danny's mother would have been able to have the conversation they just had. She smiled softly to herself as she went off to call the children for dinner.

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Danny was in the ICU for three days before they moved him to a step down room. So far, he had avoided the feared infection. He was in a lot of pain, mostly from his leg. His shoulder wound had been a through and through and had avoided damaging anything major. If that had been his only wound, he would have been out and about in a week.

The problem was the leg wound. The bullet had done a lot of damage and more had been done when it was removed. His left leg would have a jagged scar from hip to knee from all the work that had to be done. It was going to take a long time for everything to knit together. His right knee was the one with his bad ACL, so physical therapy was going to be a bitch. Add into that the fact that his shoulder would still be in recovery mode and Danny was in for a long, painful and extensive rehab program.

Danny was also a newly minted Hawaiian Hero. The press had gotten hold of the story on how he had protected Ellie Clayton with his own body and there had been several camera phone videos that had popped up from different sources showing the scene. The news anchors had latched onto the story and replayed the videos often, with extensive kudos to Danny's bravery and a great deal of commentary and updates on his condition.

Rachel was having a hard time trying to keep the children from seeing the news footage, and so far she had been successful with the littles. Unfortunately, she just found out she hadn't been as successful with Grace. One of the other children at school had shown her the clip during their lunch break. Grace had been reduced to a sobbing mess. The school nurse called Rachel who was sitting with Danny at the hospital. She didn't want to leave him alone and she didn't want to wake Steve from his badly needed sleep, so she reluctantly opted for what she felt was the next best course of action.

"Kono Kalakaua" – the young officer spoke briskly into her cell phone without looking at the caller id.

"Oh, Kono! I'm so glad I was able to reach you."

"Rachel! Is everything all right with Danny?"

As Kono spoke into the phone, she saw both Chin and Lou's heads whip in her direction, and Chin started walking toward her.

"Yes, Danny is fine. But, they just called from Grace's school. One of her little friends showed her the footage of Danny being shot. Grace is having a bit of a meltdown I'm afraid. I don't want to leave Danny and, oh Kono, do you think you could go get her?"

"No problem, Rachel. I'm on my way. Chin and Lou can cover, we're just trying to do some background on the shooter. I'll call you when I have her."

"Thank you, Kono. I really appreciate it."

Kono hung up the phone and filled in her teammates.

"You want me to go, cuz?"

"Thanks, Chin. I've got it."

"Renee's at home, if you want to take her over there. She could spend the afternoon with Samantha. It's up to you."

"Thanks, Lou. Let me see what I'm dealing with first and see what she needs."

Chin reached out and gave Kono a quick hug, and then she hurried from the room. She decided to use lights and sirens until she was almost at the school. She didn't want Grace to have to wait too long for her, but she didn't want to alarm anyone either.

Kono hurried into the school and found the nurses' office. She introduced herself and the nurse nodded toward a curtained off area, which she approached and found a dejected little Grace Williams huddled on her side on the cot. As soon as Grace saw her, she quietly started to cry again, yet she was also struggling to sit up. Kono helped her into a sitting position, then sat next to her and engulfed the young girl with a huge, two-armed hug, quietly whispering to her to just "cry it out."

After Grace calmed a little, Kono eased her away a little, looking at her while brushing her hair back from her face.

"Ready to get out of here?"

"Yes, please Aunty Kono."

"Okay."

Kono signed out with the nurse, where they retrieved Grace's backpack. After they were settled in the car, Kono looked at her.

"What do you want to do, Grace?"

"Can we go to Uncle Steve's and sit on the beach?"

"I think that's an excellent idea!"

Kono put the car into gear and drove over to Steve's house, where she sent Grace up to her room to change. She had quietly texted Steve from the school parking lot, so he knew they were coming. While Grace changed, Kono zipped off a quick text to Rachel to let her know where they were and that her plan was to swim with Grace during the afternoon, take her for dinner and drop her at Rachel's around 7:00. Rachel's reply text of "Thank God for you!" made Kono smile.

Kono and Grace spent a good couple hours in the water with their boards and then sat drying off out on the chairs by the beach. They talked quietly about the video that Grace had seen. Kono knew that Grace would never be able to undo the sight of her father being shot, but she tried to point out how Danny's quick thinking had kept both he and Ellie Clayton from being hurt even worse. She was happy to see that as they discussed the matter, Grace was starting to deal with everything a little better. They both smiled as they saw Steve heading their way from the house.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace was up and running in his direction.

"Hey Gracie! Hey Kono."

Steve kissed his niece on the top of her head and hugged her into his side.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm okay, Uncle Steve. Aunty Kono picked me up from school. I was pretty upset because I saw that video of my daddy getting shot."

"Yeah I heard about that."

Grace noted that Steve's face, normally so happy to see her, had settled into a hard visage as he responded and she hurried to comfort him.

"I think my friend Ian thought I had already seen it, Uncle Steve. I think I scared him when I was so upset. I'm okay now, though. Aunty Kono helped a lot. Are you going to see Danno?"

"Yeah. I'm heading over right now, so that your Mom can get the littles and head home."

"Can I come?"

"Oh Gracie, I don't think that's a good idea yet. You know your Mom and I will let you in to see Danno the first minute that we can, but he's still in pretty rough shape right now, okay? He'd be pretty mad at us if we let you see him when he's not at his best. Just a few more days, okay?."

Grace nodded dejectedly. She knew that her Uncle Steve and her Mom thought it was too soon for her to see her dad, but she really needed to see with her own eyes that he was all right.

Steve hung out on the beach with them for a few minutes, but he got pretty antsy, pretty fast and Kono finally told him to 'go already, boss!' Then she and Grace got changed and headed out to Kamekona's for a nice shrimp dinner on the beach. When Kono dropped Grace at home, she stayed for an hour or so and got the update on Danny from Rachel, while Grace and the littles got ready for bed.


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N: Once again, many thanks for all the reviews, faves and follows. It makes it especially fun to post a new chapter in this story knowing that there's someone out there who is looking forward to reading it. **

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Steve McGarrett left his meeting with Governor Denning with a sense of relief. Partially due to all the positive press coverage, the 5-0 team had just been granted a four week step down of the unit. They would take turns manning the office, but would not take on any new cases, unless something major happened.

Additionally, since the Governor was basking in the limelight of the heroic performance of one of the members of his personal task force, he was not going to press them to replace Danny while he was out on medical leave. Steve was grateful that the team was going to have the time to devote to getting Danny well on his way to recovery, and was thankful for the fact that he had recruited Lou to join their team. Having a fifth person, with extensive experience in the field, really helped in situations like this.

Steve was further relieved that they were able to close the investigation into the shooting at the DA's office. After days of exhaustive questioning of witnesses and piecing together camera footage, they were finally able to identify the perp. He was the estranged husband of one of the junior DA's that worked in the building. The note they found at his temporary apartment said that he had decided to "finalize his own divorce." Danny, Ellie and the three other injured victims were just collateral damage to his wife who had been shot dead at the scene.

The Ohana developed a routine where Steve would stay overnight with Danny. Rachel came and sat with him after she dropped Grace at school and the littles at day care to allow Steve to go home to get a swim, sleep and head to 5-0 for a while, usually in that order. She would spend her time on her computer doing her work and exchanging emails with her clients. She would leave by 2:30 to pick up the children and then Kono, Chin, or Lou would be there to be with Danny until Steve returned around 8:00 p.m.

Grace was not allowed to visit until the middle of the second week. The first three days in ICU she was not allowed by hospital rules. After Danny was moved to a regular room, Rachel and Steve had consulted with each other and together determined that he needed more time to try and get him past the worst of the pain. They did not want Grace to see him in such a state. By the time they were finally granted visitation, both Grace and Danny were frantic with the need to see each other. Danny had to vigorously plead his case to make it happen.

"Look, Rachel, this isn't going to get better for a long while, we both know that, but I need to see Grace and I need her to see that I am okay."

"But, Danny, you're not okay. You're still in a lot of pain and the danger of an infection…"

"I know Rach, but please. Please! I need to see her. I don't want her to worry. She won't feel that I'm okay unless she can see me. She doesn't have to stay long, please? I'm begging here."

"Oh all right, Daniel. It is against my better judgment. And it is certainly against Steve's better judgment, but when he arrives I will go pick up the children and I will drop the littles with Leila. Grace and I will return here, but she will only stay for a very brief time. Do not give me any difficulty with that, all right?"

"Sure, Rach. Whatever you want, as long as I get to see my little Monkey."

Steve looked at Rachel dubiously when he unexpectedly stopped in before she had left for the day, and she pulled him off to the side to tell him what the plan was. He looked over at Danny and frowned at the obvious pain his friend was in, which showed on his face, even in his sleep. Then, he sighed.

"Well, she might be the best medicine for him. Those two really need each other. Let's just make sure we keep it short, right Rachel? Make sure before you bring her that Gracie understands that."

"I will Steve. I know that they need each other like we need air and water. But, Grace is a big girl now, she will understand that after she sees her father, we will need to go home."

Rachel stepped up to the bed and pressed a kiss to the side of a sleeping Danny's forehead. She frowned as she stepped away and looking at Steve motioned her head toward the door. He followed her out.

"He feels a tad warm to me. Make sure the nurse stays on top of that. The absolute last thing he needs right about now is an infection setting in."

"Oh, hell, that's for sure. Yeah, I'll mention it to her as soon as you leave. See you back here in a little bit."

After Rachel left, Steve headed into the hallway to find Danny's nurse, Lila. He mentioned Rachel's suspicions, and she came in to check Danny's vitals.

"Yes, Commander, he is a little elevated. We'll keep an eye on it so we stay ahead of any problems."

"Thanks, Lila."

Steve sat next to Danny's bed and contemplated his friend. Danny was still pale and sleeping a lot. That was good for his healing. Steve sadly considered what a long, protracted fight Danny had ahead of him. He was also worried about a few months down the road when Danny was ready to be discharged from rehab. He hadn't forgotten the doctor's concerns about his living situation.

Maybe they should start looking at some ground floor apartments. Rachel's guest rooms were on the first floor, but she still had a flight of stairs into her house. Even so, maybe her house would be a possibility, but Steve would really miss Danny and Grace.

Suddenly Danny gasped and his eyes flew open.

"Who's here? Is somebody here?"

Steve leapt to his feet and reached over to settle his hand in the center of Danny's chest, giving comfort with just that touch.

"Hey, man, it's me, Steve. Bad dream?"

"Steve. Steve. Yeah. Okay. Sorry. I just….I don't know what I was thinking. I guess it was a dream."

Danny was still breathing heavily and looking frantically around the room. Steve concentrated on trying to distract him and calm him down.

"All right, just take it easy, buddy. How about some water?"

"Yeah. That would be good. What day is it?"

"It's Thursday, man. Rachel just left a little bit ago. Remember she's bringing Gracie by."

Danny's demeanor lit up like the sun coming out from behind a black cloud.

"Oh, that's great. I forgot today was the day. Of course, that's because I can't even remember what day it is. What time is it? When will they be here?"

"It's just after three and she has to get the littles settled at home. I think she'll be back by five. Maybe you and Grace can have dinner together."

"Oh, yuck. I can't feed my baby girl the crap they're giving me. Rachel can take her out someplace nice afterward. I'm not really that hungry anyway."

Steve sighed and pinned Danny with a direct look.

"Danny. We talked about this yesterday. And this morning. You have to eat. You have to build your strength. This is going to taking a lot out of you and we can't have you dropping weight."

"I know. I know. I'm trying, really I am. It's just what they're giving me tastes like garbage. Maybe you can smuggle in a burger."

"I'm not getting on the wrong side of your nurses. When they say it is okay to bring in outside food, I will, but until then, you have to eat what they're giving you."

"And you call yourself a friend."

Danny huffed and then weakly struggled while he tried to make himself more comfortable in the bed.

Steve stood up, reached over and re-arranged Danny's pillows behind his back.

"Yeah, yeah, you can still call yourself a friend, you big goof." Danny grinned, his eyes closed, and he fell right back to sleep.

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Danny startled awake as the door to his room flew open.

Steve gestured frantically at Grace, who slowed down her impetuous entry into the room with an apologetic look on her face. Rachel was following right behind her.

"Sorry, Uncle Steve! Danno, Danno! I'm so happy to see you!"

"There you are Monkey! I've been waiting for you to get here. Oh my goodness, did you get taller in a week?"

Grace giggled at the teasing.

"No, Danno. You're just being silly. I'm still the same height. How are you? I've been so worried about you."

"I'm okay, Grace. I'm going to be in the hospital for a while and then in rehab for a few months. But, before you know it, I'll be back home! So, no worrying, okay?"

"Okay, Danno. Oh! Charlie wanted me to give you a kiss from him. And Grandma and Grandpa wanted me to tell you they love you. And Auntie…."

"Slow down, Monkey, we've got a little time together. These two big meanies aren't going to take you away from me right away, are you guys?"

"Danny…."

Steve started to object, but then made the mistake of looking at two pairs of puppy dog eyes. He sighed and looked at Rachel for support.

"All right you two."

Rachel put on her best 'Mom' face.

"You may have half an hour together. Not one minute more or I won't be able to keep bringing Grace back, agreed?"

"Agreed" both Danny and Grace said enthusiastically.

Rachel and Steve stepped out of the room so the two could spend some time alone. Rachel looked at Steve.

"How is he doing Steve?"

"The nurse says his temp is a little elevated, so they started him on an antibiotic, just to be careful. It's not shooting up though, so we're just going to stay hopeful. The doctor stopped by while you were gone. As long as there are no complications, he is going to be discharged to the rehab the day after tomorrow."

"So soon!"

Rachel was surprised.

"Yeah. The doctor feels that it would be best for him to get started right away. He thinks his wounds are healing great and that he should be able to start slow and ease into an increase in activity. That reminds me, Rachel could you come and meet me at my house tomorrow morning after you drop the kids off? I already arranged for Kono to be here with Danny."

"Sure, Steve. Will 9:30 work for you?"

"Yeah, that'd be perfect."

The half hour passed pleasantly for Danny and Grace. Grace felt so much better to see that her Dad was awake and talking. She could tell that he was hurting, but he was trying to pretend he wasn't, just for her. When it was time for them to leave, she gave Danny a big hug and kiss, and then she went over to her Uncle Steve and tugged at him until he bent down so she could whisper in his ear.

He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. After depositing a kiss on the top of her head, he walked her and her mom to the elevator.

When he returned to the room, Danny pounced on him.

"What was that about? What are you whispering about with my kid?"

Steve walked over to the bed and took Danny's pain pump and pressed the button.

"She told me to make sure that you took your pain medicine as soon as she left. She knew you were holding off on it while she was here."

"Man, how did that kid get so smart?"

Danny smiled at Steve as the medicine kicked in and he drifted off to sleep.


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N: Greetings one and all! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They really keep a writer energized and moving the story forward!**

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**Why does Steve want to meet with Rachel?**

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Steve hurried down the stairs when he heard Kassie barking just before the bell rang.

"Hey Rachel! Thanks for coming over. Kassie! Settle! How's the kids?"

"They're doing fine, Steve, although both Charlie and Joan are really starting to miss both you and Danny. I think it might be another week before Danny is up to seeing them, but maybe you could find some time in the next day or so to stop by the house? Maybe for dinner?"

Rachel knelt down to pet Kassie where she had settled onto one of her dog beds.

"Yeah. I will. I forget how little they are and I don't want to throw them off too much. How about tomorrow?"

"That would be perfect. Now, what did you want to see me about?"

"Well, I think Danny's going to get discharged to rehab next week. The doctor said two to three months and then he'll be home, and you know Danny…"

"Yes, I do, it will be two months exactly. I'm sure he won't spend one more day there than he has to." Rachel laughed.

"Yeah, so the doctor also said between his leg wound and his bad ACL that we need to try and keep the stairs to a minimum for him."

"Oh. Well that will be difficult here. All right then. He can come and stay at my house. He can certainly use the guest room for as long as he would like, or did you think perhaps he should move in permanently?"

"Wow. Rachel, I didn't expect that. Actually, I think that would be too much to ask of you. You know how chaotic our schedules are. We're always coming and going at odd hours on cases. I think it's comforting to the kids to have your house as their sea of calm, if you will. I don't think it would be a good idea to move Danny in there."

"All right, Steve. Frankly, I can't say I disagree with you. Then, what are you thinking?"

"Well, here, come here."

Steve took Rachel's arm and led her to the front of the house just to the side of the living room. There was a large study that she had never been in before. The door to it was always closed whenever she was there.

"So, um, this was my dad's study. I actually never use this room. Too many bad memories ya know?"

Steve smiled sadly at her.

"I'm so sorry about that, Steve. What are you thinking for the room?"

"Well, I'm thinking that maybe I can convert it to a main floor bedroom, and do you think there might be enough room to make a full bathroom too? You're so good at the design thing, I wanted to get your opinion."

"Gracious Steve! This would be perfect for Danny. It's at the front of the house so he wouldn't have much of the ocean noise. It's a really large room and we could just knock out this closet and expand the first floor powder room to make a full bath with a sit down shower. A tub wouldn't fit. That could service both Danny and the main level of the house. If we had this wall with the window pushed out a few feet, we could even set up an armchair and table right here in front of the window then Danny would have his own sitting area separate from the main area. While he's recovering, it might be good for him to have his own spot to get away from the main house."

Rachel grew more and more enthusiastic and animated as she roamed through the large room, pointing out her ideas to Steve as she went. Steve watched her with a smile.

"So, I know it's a lot to ask, but could you oversee the project? I know absolutely nothing about this type of construction. I can pay for it. I have a lot of danger pay built up in an account, but I wouldn't know the first thing about doing this sort of remodeling."

"I would love to do this for you and Danny, Steve. I actually helped Stan…." Rachel faltered a moment, and then went right on, "I helped with some of the design of the hotel and I got to know some of the construction companies when we first lived here. In fact, I think I know exactly the firm to use. The owners are local and were very easy to work with and came in with reasonable bids. I can give them a call and get an estimate on what it would cost to do what I am envisioning. Is that all right with you?"

"God, Rachel, that's perfect. Here. I had a key made for you. Here's the alarm code. Just let me know what you need from me. As far as I'm concerned, you have carte blanche on whatever you want to do. I just wanted Danny to be able to come home and have his own space."

"You are a wonderful friend, Steve. I am so grateful that Danny found you when he moved here. I don't think he would have survived at HPD. You and the task force were everything he needed."

Steve blushed to the roots of his hair.

"It's actually me that's grateful, Rachel. I never had a friend like Danny before. I don't know how I would have adjusted to losing my dad without him. He actually makes me crazy sometimes, but…"

Steve looked at Rachel and caught the rueful smile she threw his way.

"Believe me when I tell you, Steve, I know exactly how crazy Danny can make a person, and yet we still love him anyway. Well, let me call Mr. Anali and I will see if he can come and get started on some drawings from the ideas in my head. I'll let you know how we are proceeding."

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Two days later, Rachel gave Steve a call.

"Steve, do you have time to meet myself and Mr. Anali at your house?"

"Yeah, sure Rachel. I'll need about half an hour to get there."

"That's fine Steve. We still have to go over a few things."

Steve hurried to his house. When he got in the door, he found Rachel and Kionu Anali waiting for him. The introductions were made, and Mr. Anali rolled out some blueprints for Steve to look over. What they showed him was basically a nice private suite for Danny. They had utilized every inch of the space in the study perfectly and were even going to be able to build in a closet at the opposite end of the room to replace the one that was being lost to bathroom space.

Mr. Anali quoted a price that made Steve blanch a little. But, after he received assurances that the work would be completed within 90 days, he agreed to the price. He insisted that the contract include a clause that would cost Anali money for every day he went over the 90 days. Mr. Anali promised a contract in the morning and after the signatures and deposit, he would get started the following day.

Steve showed Anali out while Rachel poured them each a glass of lemonade. Steve returned to the kitchen.

"Wow, I can't believe you put that together in such a short amount of time. I knew you were the right woman for the job."

Rachel smiled at him, pleased with the compliment.

"Thank you, Steve. It's amazing the things that I am learning. Mr. Anali actually was so impressed with my ideas he asked if he could hire me as a consultant on some of his other projects. I told him that when this project was complete, we could certainly explore the idea. It would be another source of income for me, and I think I could do it as long as I have Leila around to help with the children."

"Don't forget, in a few months, Danny's going to be looking to keep himself busy. I think he'd make a great babysitter and it will keep him out of trouble. Oh, hey Rachel, I was thinking of one other thing I'd like you to do for me, if you wouldn't mind."

"Whatever you need Steve."

"Well, since Danny is going to be moving down here to the first floor, after we get the little bedroom upstairs cleared out, could you set it up as a room for Charlie? He felt so bad about not having his own room here, and this will be a perfect solution to that problem."

Rachel couldn't say anything for a few minutes, while she swallowed the lump in her throat. It was a constant surprise to her what caring, thoughtful men her ex-husband and his partner were. They were always reaching out to help everyone in their Ohana, but the idea that this tough man had given thought to how upset her little son had been from months ago was just overwhelming.

"Oh, Steve! I don't know what to say. I would love to do that and Charles is going to be absolutely thrilled. Thank you so much!"

Steve just smiled. He knew Charlie would be pleased and couldn't wait to see the look on the little boy's face. Then he looked around the room for a few minutes and turned back to Rachel.

"Hey, where's Kassie?"

"Oh, I meant to mention that to you when you first arrived, but we got so caught up in the design plans. I had Leila pick Kassie up and take her to my house. If it's all right with you, she can stay with me while all the construction is going on. I wouldn't want to take a chance on her getting loose or injured and the children love to have her with them. By the way, Steve, you can certainly use one of the guest rooms while all this is going on as well."

Steve sat back in his chair, once again so very thankful that they had Rachel in their lives. She certainly completed their circle of friendship, no matter how corny that sounded.

"Thanks, Rachel."


	62. Chapter 62

**A/N: As always, I am so grateful for all the reviews and the readers of this little (well, maybe not so little anymore) story! Thanks one and all.**

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The next few days passed in a blur. Time at the hospital, time with the kids, time to eat, time to sleep. There was just never enough time. The whole team was exhausted. Danny was getting crankier and crankier and everyone was just about ready to blow.

It was the middle of the night and for once Danny was alone. He had finally been able to convince his exhausted partner to go home and get some rest in a real bed. Right about now, he was wishing he hadn't been successful. He was tossing and turning in his bed and couldn't get comfortable. He was sweaty and achy, and his leg was killing him. Right now he just really needed Steve.

He could call the nurse, but he hated to be a bother. His thoughts finally settled on the fact that he would feel better if he could just get a drink of water. Someone had moved his rolling table away from the bed. Danny tried to reach but it was a little too far away. He tried to shift himself to stretch and the searing pain down his leg told him that was a very bad idea.

Unfortunately, Danny was a very stubborn man, so he decided to just ignore the pain and push to reach the table. However, he drastically over-estimated both the distance and his abilities and could feel himself slipping and couldn't stop from overbalancing and tumbling out of the bed.

After all his effort, he was in a sweaty, pain-filled heap on the floor, tangled in his top sheet and blanket, with the pillow right on top of him. Amazingly enough, he didn't think he had pulled out any of his stitches, but his leg hurt far worse than it had for the last few days. Now, he just had to try and figure out a way to get back into the bed, before anyone else showed up to see the state he had managed to get in. First though, he needed to catch his breath.

Steve had gotten a few hours of sleep, but worry over his partner sent him heading back to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning. He had just exited the elevator and was heading down the hallway to Danny's room, giving a happy smile and a jaunty wave to his nurse, Lila. He reached Danny's room and pushed the door open, all ready to start teasing Danny if he was awake. Instead, he instantly dropped the magazine he was holding and hustled over to Danny's side.

"What the hell happened? Are you all right?"

"Take it…easy, buddy. You look….worse than ….I do."

Steve grabbed the nurse call button that was next to the bed and pressed it hard.

"Danny, man, what the hell."

"I was trying …to reach… the water…."

Danny was just wheezing the words out through his obvious pain. Whatever else he might have tried to say got cut off by the abrupt entrance of Lila into the room. Steve was sure he heard her curse under her breath, before she hustled to Danny's side.

"All right, Danny. We'll worry about what you were doing to get on the floor in a few minutes. Right now, we're going to get you back into bed so I can check you out. Commander, you'll need to help me, but I want to get the bed straightened out first."

Lila quickly put all the sheets to rights and then hustled back to Danny's side. Before she could start giving instructions, Steve interjected.

"I've got this, Lila. Just try and keep me from tripping over his lines."

"Oh no …. you … don't Steven! You aren't … gonna …. carry me … like a blushing … br…Hey!"

Whatever else Danny would have said was swallowed in his gasps of outrage and Lila's outright giggles as Steve put an arm behind his back and an arm under his knees and did indeed pick him up off the floor, just like a blushing bride, and deposit him gently in the bed.

"Settle down partner. Just seems like the most expeditious way to handle the problem. Come on Danny. Settle down and catch your breath."

Steve had a hand on Danny's chest, holding him in place on the bed. Lila had already given two pumps on the pain pump and was busy straightening out the various wires and leads that were attached to Danny. She then turned her attention to his leg. While he hadn't obviously pulled or broken any stitches, she didn't seem happy with the look of it nor by the tight lines of pain around Danny's mouth and eyes. She again checked the monitors and then with a quick 'I'll be back' hustled from the room.

Shortly afterward, Dr. Shoana arrived and asked Steve to step out for a few minutes while he examined Danny.

While he was in the hallway, Lila approached him.

"Commander, I want you to know that Danny's fever has spiked and I noticed redness and tightness along his wound site, which is why I called Doctor Shoana. I believe he will switch out the antibiotic for a stronger one. Danny has been restless and uncomfortable for the last couple hours, I think that's why he lost his balance. I'm afraid he's in for a rough night."

"Okay, Lila, what can I do to help him?"

Just then Dr. Shoana emerged from the room and filled Steve and Lila in on his new orders. As Lila had predicted, a new and stronger antibiotic was ordered. Dr. Shoana was very worried that the dreaded infection had taken hold.

Lila took Steve's arm and led him to Danny's room.

"Hi Partner."

A very unhappy and sweat soaked Danny said from the bed.

"Hey, buddy. Not following instructions very well, are you?"

"Never been one … for doing things … right, I guess."

Danny was trying to keep up their familiar and comfortable banter, but it was obviously an effort for him.

"Here, Commander. If you could just keep running these cool cloths over him, it will help to keep the fever down."

Lila showed Steve how to keep bathing Danny with the fresh cool cloths and Steve took over for her.

"Okay, I'll check on you guys in a little bit. Danny, you or Steve call if you need anything."

"Thanks Lila."

"Babe, this … is embar … embarrassing. You … don't have … to do that."

Danny fidgeted and was obviously trying to let Steve off the hook.

"Hey, Danno, you just keep calling me babe while I do this, and we can keep that rumor mill circulating."

Steve grinned when his buddy started sputtering, as he knew he would. There was nothing better than teasing Danny to distract him from whatever was on his mind, whether they were on a case or like now when he was ill.

Steve had spent some time running the cloths over Danny and had finally settled in one of the chairs to take a little break. He had dozed off in the chair and startled awake when he heard Danny's mumbling.

Danny was obviously in the throes of a fever dream. He was twisting and turning on the bed and kept calling his brother Matty's name. Occasionally he would growl out "Reyes." It was apparent he was reliving their time in Colombia.

"Danny. Danny! Wake up!"

Steve was shaking him gently.

Danny's eyes snapped open.

"Matty! Where is he? Steve. He was just here. Matty was just here. Right now. Find him! We have to protect him. You have to go after him."

"No, man. It was a dream. Matty wasn't here. You were just having a dream."

Even in his fever, Danny knew the difference between fantasy and reality, and as reality sank back in he began sobbing. Steve didn't think he had seen Danny as emotional as this, even right after Matt's death. Steve sat behind Danny on the bed and pulled his friend into his chest and cradled and rocked him, while he smoothed the hair back on his head.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Rachel was busy making dinner. She and Grace had just finished one of their extended conversations with Clara Williams and Charlie and even Joan had gotten on the phone for a little bit too. Joanie thanked her and enjoyed telling "Gramma" all about the new coloring book she had just received in the mail. The littles were now in the den watching cartoons, with Kassie lying on one of her many her dog beds, and Grace had headed to her room to finish her homework.

Rachel had also just received a quite worrisome text from Steve McGarrett regarding Danny spiking a fever. She hoped things didn't go from bad to worse.

Rachel looked up as a forlorn looking Joan entered the room.

"What's up, buttercup?" Rachel asked.

"Is Unca S'eve comin' to get me today, Auntie Wach?"

"No, honey, I'm sorry. Uncle Steve is spending the night with Danno at the hospital again. You know Danno is still pretty sick and he feels better when Uncle Steve stays with him, right?"

"I know" huffed the little girl sadly.

She sat down at the table and Rachel got her a cup of juice and a cookie. She usually didn't condone treats before dinner but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"We're just all having a little bit of a tough time right now, Joanie. Everything will be better in a little while when Danno gets out of the hospital, okay?"

Joanie nodded her head. She ate her cookie and finished her milk and wandered despondently back to the den. Rachel sighed. She knew this was tough on everyone, but the children seemed to be absorbing everyone's stress. At least Grace had actually been able to visit with Danny and Steve had stopped by for dinner a couple of times. But the little ones missed their routines and they were all missing Danny desperately.

They had a very quiet dinner. The children were all subdued. Rachel tried to start a conversation a few times, but then she finally fell into the silence herself. At the end of dinner, she asked Grace to get the littles changed into their pajamas and put them each to bed and she would be up to tuck them in.

Rachel finished tidying up the kitchen after dinner and set the alarm. She then headed upstairs. She stopped at Grace's room first. After telling Grace she could read for a half an hour, she kissed her good night, watched Kassie get settled on her dog bed, and closed her door. She then went and tucked in both of the littles and headed for her own room.

Rachel was done getting ready for bed herself but couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep and decided to head to the kitchen for a cup of chamomile tea. As she headed down the hallway, she heard sobs coming from Charles' room. She pushed the door open and as soon as the little boy saw her, he tried to cover his face with his pillow.

She sat on his bed, reached out and took the pillow from his face.

"I sorry, Mommy. I trying to be brave. But….but, I miss my Danno so much." He sobbed out.

"I know, Charles. I miss him too."

She picked up her small son and cuddled him close. Then Rachel collapsed and just joined in on the crying. A few minutes later, Rachel looked up at the doorway and there was Joan, standing sleepy-eyed and staring at them. Rachel let out a sigh, wiped her eyes and gathered the littles and herded them back into her room and they all cuddled together on her king sized bed. It was the best she could do to comfort them in the absence of the beloved men in their lives.


	63. Chapter 63

**A/N: Thanks again for so many wonderful reviews! It really helps keep those creative juices flowing!**

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**Danny's still not doing too well.**

Steve had gone home, Rachel had taken the afternoon shift, and Kono had relieved her when it was time to go get the kids from school. Danny's fever was still hovering around 102.5, but fortunately had not yet climbed any higher. He was still uncomfortable and achy. They had been in to draw more blood so that Dr. Shoana could decide whether to try an even stronger course of antibiotics.

Danny was once again sleeping, but very restlessly. He was tossing and turning and Kono kept trying to soothe him with the cool cloths.

"Take it easy, Danny. Just sleep, okay, brah? You're okay, you're going to be fine."

Kono kept up a steady, light barrage of chatter. She couldn't deny that she was very worried about her friend and felt pretty helpless.

She heard a sound at the door and looked up. Ellie Clayton was standing in the doorway, eyes very wide.

"Hi Kono. How's he doing?"

"He's having a rough day, Ellie. His fever's up. How are you doing? How's the arm?"

"I'm okay. It's not giving me any trouble at all. The doctor just released me to start PT, but I wanted to stop and check on Danny."

She smiled tremulously at Kono.

Kono smiled back and gestured at her to pull up a chair, which she did.

"I'm afraid Danny's having a little bit of a rough go here, Ellie. But, he's going to be fine."

"God, I hope so, Kono. I still can't believe how brave he was. I barely even knew there were shots being fired before he had me on the ground and was on top of me, protecting me."

The two women chatted for a few minutes. Kono received a text and excused herself from the room for a few minutes. Ellie sat at Danny's bedside sadly looking at him, when he suddenly started shifting restlessly in his sleep once again. Ellie gently placed a hand on Danny's arm and leaned over to softly speak with him. She told him that he was fine, that Kono would be right back. Finally, bleary, blue eyes opened and fastened on her own.

Ellie was relieved that Danny was at least awake, but he looked like hell.

"Hi. How are you doing, Danny?"

"Hey, Ellie! How are you doing? I've been worried about you!"

"You've been worried about me? Oh my goodness, Danny, I've been so worried about you! I was so frightened when that shooting started, but you were so wonderful and brave! I can't thank you enough for what you did for me."

Danny grinned at her.

"All part of the service, babe. Let's see McGarrett pull off a trick like that, huh?"

Ellie giggled. She never got tired of how Danny and Steve constantly picked on each other, which she had first observed when she had been at their offices and Danny had insisted she wait while he go to find Steve and then busted on him as soon as they were all together in the room.

She and Danny spoke softly for a few minutes and then Kono returned to the room. She smiled to see her friend awake, but wasn't happy at how uncomfortable and sweaty he looked. She and Ellie exchanged glances over his form, and then Ellie gave Danny a little kiss on the forehead and promised she would stop and see him in a few days. Danny smiled and drifted back off to sleep. Kono and Ellie spoke softly in the corner for a few moments, and then Ellie took her leave.

Kono dozed in the chair but startled awake some time later, when Danny started to thrash in his bed. She reached over to calm him down and grew worried when she couldn't. He wasn't awake, but he was thrashing and muttering unintelligibly. He also felt very hot to her.

She pressed the call button. Their favorite nurse, Lila, was on duty and entered the room. She obviously didn't like what she saw.

She took Danny's temperature and shook her head at Kono.

"This isn't good. He's up to 104. I am going to page Dr. Shoana. There may be something else going on and the antibiotics are not getting ahead of this."

Lila left the room and Dr. Shoana entered shortly after. He asked Kono to step into the hallway for a few moments while he examined Danny. He stepped out of the room after a few minutes.

"I think Danny has developed a bad infection in his leg. I thought the antibiotics would head that off, but now I think our best bet is to get him back to the ER, open it up again and clean it out. I was hoping he would respond to the antibiotics, but that's not happening. This is a setback. You had better call Commander McGarrett and let him know, but we aren't going to wait for him to get here."

Kono nodded and stepped down the hallway to call the team. She really dreaded having to break the news of another operation to their Ohana and particularly to Steve McGarrett.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Chin felt a sense of déjà vu as he sat in the third floor surgical waiting room for the second time in a week. His gaze wandered around the room and he took in the worried faces of his friends. Steve, Rachel, Lou, and Kono were all gathered waiting to hear if Dr. Shoana was successfully able to clean out the infection in Danny's leg.

No one was talking. Everyone was quietly contemplating their own thoughts on what might happen to Danny. There was too much worry in the room for much easy conversation.

Dr. Shoana once again came through the swinging doors. Kono breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw the expression on the doctor's face.

"All right, everybody. I think we have had a very successful surgery. I was able to clean out a very deep pocket of infection. I think once he is out of recovery and back to a room in ICU, we ought to see a rapid decline in his fever. This may have set back his recuperation, but only by a week or so from my original estimate."

The team all smiled at each other and patted one another on the back. Steve threw his arms around Rachel and hugged her in his relief. She clung for a moment and then stepped back and smiled tearily at him.

"Oh, he is such a difficult patient, isn't he?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, he is that, Rachel. He really is."

Steve was just happy that their friend had made it through another hurdle.

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After Danny was moved from recovery to his ICU room, Rachel took the opportunity to approach Chin.

"Chin, I wonder if it might be possible to request a favor."

"Whatever you need Rachel."

"Would it be possible for you to spend some time with Charles, perhaps this weekend? I hate to ask, but he is missing Danny and Steve desperately. I understand that Steve needs to be here with Danny, but I think Charles needs some male attention."

Kono had come up behind them while they were talking.

"You know what, Rachel? You could probably use a break yourself. Why don't you let Chin and I take all the kids on Saturday? The zoo has a new exhibit opening in their children's area. I bet it would be a good break for all of us."

"Oh, goodness! Could you? That would be fantastic. I would be so very appreciative."

"It's not a problem, Rachel." Chin took her hands in his. "We're Ohana. We're here for whatever you need. All you have to do is ask."

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**Thanks to several reviewers who wanted to see a little more interaction with Chin and Kono. You'll enjoy the next chapter! See you Thursday!**


	64. Chapter 64

**A/N: Several reviewers have asked for more time between the littles and Kono and Chin. So here's a fun trip to the zoo for the group. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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Kono and Chin arrived at Rachel's house early on Saturday morning to take the littles to the zoo. Grace would not be joining them, she had stayed overnight at a girlfriend's house and there was a birthday party for another friend she would be attending that afternoon. Rachel had already given the two littles their talk about "proper behavior" while they were out with Chin and Kono.

They got the car seats put into the back seat of Kono's Cruze and buckled the littles into them. Kono was driving and Chin was angled around his seat talking to the kids.

"So, are you guys excited?"

He watched as the two littles exchanged glances. Then Charlie answered him.

"Yeah, Unca Chin. We like aminals. Thank you and Aunty Kono for taking us to the zoo-o."

Chin smiled to himself at the way Charlie had added an extra 'o' to the word zoo.

"No problem little buddy. Kono and I haven't been to the zoo in ages. We're really looking forward to seeing if they have any new animals and to check out the different exhibits. They have a great keiki zoo too."

The littles exchanged glances again. Obviously they had decided, with their private communication system, that it was Joanie's turn.

"Whassa keiki, Unca Chin?"

"Why, you're a keiki sweetie. You and Charlie are both keikis. A keiki is a small child. Keiki is a Hawaiian word."

"Unca Steve knows Hawaiian words, but Danno don't. That's cause Danno is from Jersey."

Chin smiled at the way Charlie announced this, almost as though Jersey and Heaven might be the same thing. However, his smile quickly fell at the next words out of the little boys' mouth.

"Is my Danno gonna die, Unca Chin?"

This time it was Kono and Chin exchanging glances. Chin sighed deeply, mustered up a smile, and tried to reassure both children.

"No, Charlie, Danny's okay, he's not going to die. He's pretty sick though. That's why he has to stay in the hospital so long."

"Yeah. I was pretty sick too and I had to stay in the hopital a really long time, but my Danno came and stayed wif me lotsa times. Why can't I go stay wif him? I bet it would make him feel better."

"Oh, boy!"

Chin muttered under his breath while he shot a side-eye at Kono. He was beginning to worry that all the questions that the littles hadn't been asking Rachel or Steve were going to be flung at he and Kono today. They hadn't even gotten to the parking lot yet. Kono reached over and patted him on the knee.

"Well, buddy, Danny was able to come and stay with you because he's an adult. But the hospital has pretty strict rules when it is the adult who is the patient and the child who wants to visit. So, right now, you can't see him."

"No fair." Charlie stated this with firmness.

"Yeah, no fair." That statement was echoed by the teeny blond in the seat next to the little boy.

"Well, you might be right. It might not be fair, but that's the way it is. I'll tell you what? How about if we make sure we get some really good pictures of each of you in front of the different animals with Aunty Kono's camera? I'll bet it would make Danny feel a lot better if he could see what fun you are having."

"Okay, Unca Chin." The two dejected little voices piped back at him.

Chin turned around to face forward and murmured sotto voce for Kono.

"Cheering up these two is going to be a more difficult task than I imagined."

"Just wait for the animals to work their magic, cuz."

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Hours later, Chin was reflecting on what a wise woman his cousin was. While the children started the day just going through the motions, they gradually warmed up to both he and Kono and were now having a fantastic time. They had a lot of fun making funny faces and creating silly poses for the pictures Kono was taking. 'For Danno!' they would each call out before a picture was snapped, instead of the more traditional 'cheese.'

They had already covered most of the main animal exhibits and the gardens and were now in the restaurant by the Keiki Zoo. They had gotten each of the littles a hamburger and fries and were realizing they probably could have gotten one order for the two to split. Chin had already wolfed down his burger and Kono was picking at her chicken sandwich.

"Just the Keiki Zoo left, cuz. Then you can go home and get your nap."

"Don't mock me, woman! I don't remember this place having so much ground to cover."

"Well, it probably hasn't helped that you have been carrying one or the other of the kids all day. I told you we should have rented a double stroller."

Chin hung his head. His cousin was right, again. From now on, he just wasn't going to argue with her. She definitely knew what she was talking about when it came to the children.

Suddenly there was a ruckus just outside the restaurant.

"My purse, my purse!"

Chin's head snapped up and he saw an elderly woman with a couple of children. The woman was sprawled on the ground and a young man was running away from the scene.

"Stay with the kids!" He barked at Kono as he took off after the thief.

Kono whipped out her phone and called HPD. Then she looked at Charlie and Joanie. They were both looking back at her, eyes wide with surprise and worry.

"Unca Chin be okay?" Joanie whispered.

"Uncle Chin will be fine, honey. Come on you two. I need to check on that lady."

She took each of the children by the hand and made her way over to the crowd that had formed around the woman.

"Let me through. I'm 5-0. Let me through, please."

"Ma'am. Are you all right?"

The elderly Oriental woman looked at Kono, and she noted the tremors running through the woman. She had been helped into a seated position by a young man who was still supporting her with a hand on her back. There were two young children, roughly Grace's age, standing at her side and looking on the scene with wide eyes.

"Yes. I think so. I think I'm just shook up. But, oh my goodness! All our vacation money was in my purse."

The woman started to cry.

Charlie let go of Kono's hand and took a couple of steps forward to put his hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Don't cry, lady. My Unca Chin will catch him. He 5-0!"

The last was stated proudly.

Chin heard the statement just as he came limping up. Kono looked at his ripped jeans and realized he probably made a flying tackle.

"You okay, cuz?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Ma'am?" He addressed the woman on the ground, just as two HPD officers approached.

"Are you able to accompany these two officers? I was able to tackle the little thug and we recovered your purse. They're going to need you to accompany them to the station to make a statement, but then you can have your belongings back."

"Oh! Oh! Thank you so much, young man! I can't believe it. Oh my goodness, you have saved our vacation!"

The woman was helped up by both of the officers and the young man that had helped her. She smiled and thanked them all, and then reached over to Chin and gave him a hug. She finally turned to Charlie just before she walked away.

"You are lucky to have such a wonderful Uncle, young man. I hope you appreciate him."

"I do! I tolded you he would catch him. They always get the bad guys."

With that emphatic statement, Charlie walked over to Chin and, as Chin had often observed him do with both Steve and Danny on numerous occasions, he leaned himself against Chin's leg and wrapped his arm around his thigh. Chin thought to himself he could carry both kids through the zoo twice from the high that gave him. He smiled over at Kono.

"Maybe enough excitement for one day, huh Cuz?"

"No problem old man. We can come back and do the Keiki Zoo another day. Would you kids like to come with us?"

"Yeah!" both the littles crowed.

When they got to Rachel's, Steve was already there waiting to visit with the kids before he headed back to the hospital. Kono and Chin listened while Charlie and Joanie excitedly garbled the story of their trip to the zoo, Rachel's head was whipping back and forth between them and Steve was trying very hard to smother his smile.

When they had finished the explanation, Steve smirked over at them.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to tell Danno I'm not the only danger magnet on the team."

"That's fine, brah, but can you wait until he gets to the rehab to tell him?" Chin tiredly retorted.


	65. Chapter 65

**A/N: Sorry for the late post - the 4th of July Holiday delayed me by a day. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Always love to read your thoughts and reviews!**

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"Son of a bitch!"

"Get away from me!"

"Aargh! You're killing me here."

Steve could hear his partner yelling as he got off the elevator. He dropped his coffee cup and sprinted down the hallway to Danny's room. He burst through the door already pulling his service weapon from his holster.

"Stop, you crazy neanderthal! I don't need you pissing my therapist off even more than I already have."

Steve halted his forward momentum and took in the scene before him.

A large, young Hawaiian man had Danny up on a walker. Danny was pasty white and shaky, but he was actually standing on his own two feet. Well, two feet and the four legs of the walker. There was a chair pressed right up behind him so that he could sit down quickly if he needed to.

"Haku, meet Steve. Steve, this is Haku. Since you both enjoy tormenting me, you ought to get along great."

Haku grinned over at Steve, bright white teeth flashing in his dark face.

"Man, if you work with him every day, you must be some sort of saint. This one really likes pissing and moaning, eh brah?"

Steve caught the wink and happily realized that Danny could not have been assigned a better therapist. Obviously Haku had already taken the measure of the man, and it looked as though the two of them were getting along great. He did have a question though.

"I didn't think the hospital was going to do any therapy. I thought they were waiting until he went to the rehab."

"They are. I work for the rehab. I am just here getting an assessment of Danny's strengths and weaknesses. I like to do that before a patient moves over so that I can work up a good therapy plan for them. Since Danny blistered my ears with all his swearing, I think I'm gonna add a few unique routines."

"Aw, man, Haku. You know I was just joking, right? I wouldn't really bust you in the chops."

Danny grinned up at the larger man.

"I don't think you can actually reach my chops, Danny. But, I'm willing to give you a free shot at it if you can get through the first week of therapy and hit all my markers. Now let's get you settled back in bed before Lila comes in here and reams me out for overdoing it on you. Apparently you're one of her faves."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you think that?" asked Danny.

"She's my wife. So, I always know who her faves are. But, I can guarantee you that I'm always gonna be more of a fave than you."

Danny grinned slyly at Steve after Haku finished getting him settled in the bed.

"Guess, I'm going to have to see if I can move up on her fave list, huh, babe?"

Haku narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at Danny.

"You'd better not try that, if you know what's good for you. Just remember, I get to decide what we do in therapy and what happens in therapy, stays in therapy."

Danny just beamed his Cheshire cat smile and nestled into his pillows and blankets.

Steve looked at his friend and shook his head fondly. He was glad to see that Danny's spirits seemed to be recovering and he was thankful that Haku had already introduced himself. It would make the transition to rehab much easier. But, he didn't want it to be too easy on his friend, which prompted his next question.

"So, Haku, my man. Any chance you can include me in some of the therapy classes? I want to be able to make sure Danny keeps up with the lessons when he is released into my loving care."

"No problem, brah. I'd be delighted to show you how to put this one through his paces."

Danny moaned and pulled the covers completely over his head, to the sound of both Steve and Haku laughing uproariously.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny was discharged to the rehab facility in the fifth week after the shooting. He met with his therapist, Haku, daily and the doctors reassured him that he was progressing well. He hoped he was progressing because with as much pain as he was in, he better at least be getting somewhere.

He hadn't even been there a day before he started fretting about what would happen when he was released. He vented, angrily and often, about the need to locate a first floor apartment for himself and Grace. Initially, Steve had been hoping to surprise Danny with the remodel, but after a week of increasingly angry ranting, he finally realized that he had to give up the secret in order to calm his friend. So, Steve informed Danny of what he had done. He watched as his eyes widened and he gulped down a breath.

"Steve! You can't do that! That's a hell of a lot of money! Make them stop. Right now, make them stop right now!"

"Danny, are you crazy? I can't stop it now. I'm already missing the front wall of the house, man. It's done. Don't worry about it."

Danny sat in thought for a while and then said,

"How about if I split it with you?"

"How about if you don't? You wouldn't believe the amount of back and danger pay I have sitting in my account. After all, you always tell me I only buy cargos and board wax, right?"

To change the subject, Steve told Danny about how Rachel was fixing up the little bedroom for Charlie. Danny grinned and told him that they better let him be there when they told the little guy. He wanted to see the surprise on Charlie's face when he found out he had his own room at Uncle Steve's house. Steve was pleased when he suddenly realized how much comfort it gave Danny to know he had a room for both of his children at the house.

The littles were finally able to see Danny once he was moved to the rehab. Steve asked Haku to call him when Danny had a lighter day, so that the kids could see him on an up note. He had decided on that approach when he had stopped by with Grace one day, only to find Danny in a puddle of tears from the pain that day's therapy session had cost him, which upset both Grace and Danny.

The first day the littles were allowed in to see Danny was heart-warming. Rachel and Steve had coached both Charlie and Joan about how Danny would look and how careful they would have to be of his leg. The arrived at the rehab and Steve went to get Danny and wheeled him out into the common area.

Joanie ran right up to the wheelchair and then stood patting Danny's hand. She smiled and kept cooing 'hi, Danno, hi, Danno' at him. Danny smiled at her and gave her a little one-armed hug. He suddenly realized that Charlie hadn't approached him yet, and he looked around until he spotted him.

Charlie was still sitting at the little table and was looking wide-eyed at Danny. Danny smiled at him and gave him a little wave to come over. At which point, Charlie broke into a huge grin and went running up to the wheelchair. Steve grabbed him before he got too close to Danny's leg and then he swung him up and plunked him into Danny's lap on his good side.

"That okay, buddy?" He asked his friend.

"It's good. I'm good, Steve. Charlie, Tiger, you look great! I really miss seeing you every day! How have you been?"

"I good, Danno. I miss you. Mommy said you been sick, but you be better now, right?"

Charlie looked a little uncertain about this "better" reassurance his mother had given him. He didn't think Danny looked very good at all.

"Well, buddy, I'm doing a lot better than I was, so your Mommy is right again."

"We both had to be in the hopital, right Danno? You n me, we were sick but we gonna be all better now, right?"

Danny was touched by how Charlie was trying to reassure him.

"That's right Tiger, you and me are pretty tough guys aren't we? You're all better now and I will be soon because I'm going to be just like you and do everything the doctors tell me."

Steve let Charlie sit with Danny for few minutes and then he plucked him up again.

"Come on Charlie, I need someone pretty strong to help me push Danno over to the table, okay?"

"Okay, Unca Steve!"

Charlie was thrilled to be able to help his beloved Danno with something and he pushed the chair with all his might, not noticing that Steve was actually doing the work.

They got the chair positioned at the table and then Joanie and Charlie sat on either side of Danny and regaled him with stories and peppered him with questions. After half an hour, Steve quirked an eyebrow at Rachel, who nodded briskly back at him, and addressed her comments to the children.

"All right then you two hooligans. That's enough for today. We have to let Danno have enough strength to do all the exercises they need him to do so he can get better and come home. Give him a hug and kiss and I will bring you back in a few days."

They hugged and kissed him and everyone headed for home, except for Steve, who felt like he was putting in almost as much time at the rehab center as Danny was.

Danny complained that he felt like it was a constant battle of one step forward and three steps back. Haku kept encouraging him that he was doing well, but as they all knew, it was going to be a tough rehab for him because of his shoulder wound. It was hard for him to hold himself up using his arms. But, just as his mother had said, Danny was a fighter. He wouldn't give up and he kept forcing his body to do more and more.

Steve intitially didn't participate in many of the therapy sessions with Haku and Danny. It was hard for him to see his partner in so much pain and not be able to help him. Steve wasn't squeamish, but he was a man of action who was used to having a mission plan that he could implement and see through to a successful conclusion. Danny's therapy didn't seem to fit those parameters. At least that's what he thought until Haku pulled him aside after a session Steve had been involved in.

"Listen, brah. I gotta tell you, that little haole always does a lot better when you're here pushing at him then he does when it's just me and him."

"I'm a little surprised at that Haku. Danny always seems like he does a great job."

"Yeah, he does good. But what I'm telling you Commander, is that when you're here, he pushes himself just that little bit harder and I think the arguing you two do keeps his head off the pain. I try and get his head out of it when it's just me and him, but it's different when it's you. I'm just encouraging you that whenever you can get here, it's helpful. Just so you know."

Steve took barely any time to consider Haku's words. He just made an appointment with the Governor and explained that he wanted to take a leave of absence for a couple of months. The Governor was reluctant to allow that, and after some pointed questioning was able to find out why Steve needed the time. His response took Steve by surprise.

"Commander McGarrett. I am going to refuse your leave of absence request. But, I fully support you taking whatever time you need to assist Detective Williams in his recovery. The island has never been safer than when the 5-0 task force is intact and I need you to insure that your back to full strength asap. I am fully behind your team on this."

With the support of the Governor and his other three teammates, Steve made sure that he was attended at least one of Danny's therapy sessions every day. He didn't miss the relieved look that Danny would get on his face when he would come through the door, which he would quickly smother with a sarcastic quip about how Steve and Haku loved to torture him and that he was sure that they had overnight planning sessions to dream up new methods.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

With the therapy issue being reasolved, the other big problem in Danny's recovery was that he still wasn't eating. The pain pills took away his appetite and they also made him a little nauseous when he did eat. He had dropped weight in the hospital and he was still dropping weight in the rehab. He couldn't afford to lose any more. Everyone started bringing food to him to try and tempt his appetite.

Kamekona would stop by with his favorite garlic shrimp. Kono and Chin would swing by with cocoa puffs and malasadas. Lou and his wife started making home-made Chicago style pizza. Rachel made his mother's lasagna recipe and brought it over. Danny tried to eat, but most of the time he failed. The weight was still just falling off him.

"Danny." Steve was eyeballing his dinner plate.

"I know. I know. Please. Get off my back. I'm doing the best I can."

Today was obviously one of Danny's cranky days.

"Your best sucks Danny! You need to try harder. You're not going to come back to 100% if you don't start eating. You can't keep dropping weight like this."

"I know, man, but none of this stuff is appealing to me, right now. I mean, my God, I was barely able to get my mom's lasagna down the other night! I love that lasagna. I dream about that lasagna. Rachel makes it just the way my mom does. I couldn't even eat half a piece."

Danny was almost crying from frustration and weariness. To cover that fact, he usually lashed out pretty hard. But, while Rachel would get her feelings hurt and be upset, Steve always took Danny's temper in stride and just let it roll off his back.

"All right, man. Take it easy. Just try, okay?"

Steve went home that night and started thinking about how to keep weight on Danny. Once again, google was his friend. He searched all night long and after piecing together several recipes, he came up with a smoothie recipe which had whey protein powder, peanut butter, bananas, berries, yogurt and some other good additives.

He mixed up a batch in the morning and had one himself. It was delicious. He poured the other serving into a go cup and headed over to the rehab. When he got there, Danny was already dressed in his sweats and tee shirt for the day and staring morosely at the breakfast tray in front of him.

Steve plopped the smoothie thermos in front of him with a grin.

"Try that boo boo."

"Oh for God's sake, boo boo again? Lose the boo boo, okay? I told you before…..HEY! What is this stuff? Where did you get it? It's awesome!"

"Great! That's great Danny! Let's see if you can keep it down today with the pain pills okay? If you could manage one or two of those a day, I think I'd feel a lot better about what you're not eating."

"Good grief, when did you turn into my mother?"

"When you decided to let some maniac use you for target practice." Steve replied testily.

"Okay. Fine. Stand Down, Steven. Speaking of my mother, she called yesterday and she told me to tell you…."

Danny and Steve continued the conversation until the first therapist of the day came to get him.

"All right Commander Cantankerous, go keep the island safe from the crazies, huh? I'll catch you later. And thanks. Thanks for the shake. It's still staying down which is a surprise, but it's a blessed surprise so I'll take it."

Steve grinned and then jogged to the Camaro to head into work. On the way, he called Rachel to fill her in on the latest development. She made him repeat all the ingredients that went into the shake and told him she would make up some batches that could be frozen and stored at the rehab, which meant that he wouldn't have to do it every day. Once again, Steve hung up the phone impressed with how invaluable Rachel was to their Ohana.


	66. Chapter 66

**A/N: Once again, I just have to express my appreciation for all the wonderful reviews! Your comments mean the world to me.**

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The weeks went by and Danny was finally passing every therapy appointment with flying colors. He could put weight on his leg and Haku was relentless with developing increasingly challenging therapies that worked hard on strengthening the muscles in his leg. He would have to use a walker for the next few months, but the doctors were pretty sure that they would be releasing him to desk duty by the time he reached six months post shooting. As long as he had a target date, he felt like he could power through any problems.

Steve's participation in Danny's therapy sessions continued, with Haku and the other therapists laughing at them while they observed their verbal sparring. More than once the observation was made that they argued worse than a married couple. Haku verbally fenced with Danny during their sessions, but took the time one day to pull Steve to the side and caution him that he shouldn't try to push Danny too hard once he was released.

"That stubborn little haole would be in here 20 hours a day if I'd let him, brah. He must take the time to let his body heal."

He earnestly imparted the message to Steve, who understood how hard his friend was pushing himself and knew that he would probably be spending more time encouraging him to rest than pushing him to do his therapy.

The remodeling had gone like clockwork as well. Mr. Anali told Steve he had no intention of earning one dime less than his quote, so he was definitely going to be finished within the 90 day time frame. The plan was that they would be done with everything, including the clean-up, on Friday. Rachel already had all the furnishings for Charlie's room. So, on Saturday, all the Ohana was going to be at Steve's house to move Danny's furniture into his new suite and to paint and set up Charlie's room. Danny was being discharged on Monday.

Saturday night everything was completed. Steve and Rachel stood in the doorway of his dad's old study looking in at Danny's room. His furniture fit perfectly and Rachel had bought him a new dresser and a small desk. He hadn't had room for either in the little room upstairs.

There was a recliner set up in front of the window with a small table and bookshelf close to it. Rachel had already bought several books by an author she knew Danny enjoyed. The bathroom was completed and there was a pocket door that opened into Danny's room, as well as a door that opened into the hallway, so it was accessible to the main house as well.

"Wow." Steve was speechless.

"Yes. It turned out better than I expected. Mr. Anali has outdone himself."

"He may have, but the person who has really outdone themselves is you, Rachel! You really thought of everything. I can't wait to get Danny home and have him see this. He's going to be thrilled."

Rachel glowed at the compliment.

"Thank you Steve. I am just so happy that Danny will have this space. It's going to make his recovery from this awful injury much easier for him to handle."

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Rachel and Steve stood inside the entrance at the rehab center waiting for Danny to be discharged. They had packed up all his belongings and taken them home the night before, so today all they needed to collect was Danny. They heard him before they saw him.

"All right. I'm gonna blow this pop stand. Don't think it hasn't been fun, because it hasn't!"

"Bye Danny!"

"See ya Williams!"

"Keep workin' that leg brah, we don't wanna see you back here!"

Despite his cranky nature, Danny was a favorite with the staff and everyone had turned out to bid him good-bye.

He came down the corridor and headed toward Steve and Rachel, slowly moving forward on his walker. He had easily lost twenty pounds over the course of his recovery and Rachel had to go out and buy him small tee shirts and sweats so they wouldn't fall off his body. He was shadowed out the door by the large presence of Haku, who was keeping a careful eye on Danny the whole way.

Danny's leg still ached sometimes and he had a long way to go with his therapy, but he was getting out of the rehab! He couldn't wait to be home and to be with his kids again. That is what he missed most was being able to see the children on a daily basis. He directed a beaming smile at Steve and Rachel.

"Wow! I'm goin' home in style, huh guys?"

Steve had sprinted ahead to hold the passenger side door of Rachel's Mercedes open for Danny.

"Yeah, buddy. It's gonna be a while before you're able to leap up into the truck or bend low to make it into the Camaro. We thought this would be easiest for you."

Danny settled back into the seat and let Steve whip his walker away.

"Good thinking. I'm guessing that would be Rach."

Then he popped his eyes open at Steve and winked.

Steve huffed a little.

"Sure, Rachel always gets the credit for anything good."

Danny rolled down the window and reached a hand out to Haku.

"Listen, man, no joking. I just…. Well, thanks for everything. I don't think I would have come as far as I have without you. I really appreciate it. Once Steve gets the plans for the barbecue set, you and Lila have to come for dinner, okay?"

"Look at you little haole. Still trying to get my woman in your orbit."

Danny laughed at that and gave Haku his beaming grin.

"Doesn't hurt to show her what she's missing, big man."

Once Steve and Rachel were both settled in the car, Rachel put the car in gear and headed for Steve's house, relieved that the worst of Danny's recovery was now behind them.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

They arrived at the house and Steve helped Danny get steady on the walker. Kono was watching the littles at Rachel's house. Grace and Chin had the door open and were waiting for Danny to get in the house, Grace was practically vibrating she was so excited to have Danny back home. Danny made his slow progress to the door. It was slow, but he was doing it!

He got in the house and headed toward the sofa, but Steve steered him toward his dad's study.

"Hey, man. You should check this out and maybe lie down for a little while to rest before the littles get here, okay?"

They crossed the threshold to the room and Danny stopped stock still and looked around.

It was gorgeous. It was like a small suite with his bed front and center. A nice dresser and desk were situated perfectly in the room, and he saw the recliner and table set in front of the window. He figured he would be able to spend a lot of recuperating time there.

He rolled the walker over to the bathroom and it too was perfect. There was a bench seat built into the shower and grab bars also built in, just in case. He couldn't wait to try the awesome rainwater shower head.

He walked back into the main bedroom and saw Steve, Rachel, Chin and Grace's anxious faces waiting to see what he thought.

He rolled the walker over to the recliner, settled into it and put his feet up. Then he looked at his Ohana and quietly said.

"I think this might just be the best apartment I've had since moving to this island. I'm never leaving."

Steve threw his arms around Rachel and hugged her tight while crowing out "Success!"

Grace ran over to Danny and hugged him.

"I'm so glad you're home, Danno! It's just not the same without you!"

"Thanks, Monkey! I'm glad to be home too. You know, I think I might just lie down for an hour until the littles get here. Maybe you would pull the comforter down for me."

Grace ran to pull the comforter down. After Danny got settled into bed, she climbed in on his good side and snuggled in against her dad.

"Danno and I are gonna take a nap, okay Mom?"

"That's fine Grace. Be very careful of your father's leg. I will wake you when the littles are here."

Steve, Rachel and Chin eased out of the room. Rachel gave Steve a relieved look.

"Oh." She sighed out. "It's perfect. I wasn't sure until I saw his reaction, but I can tell you he absolutely loves it. He was overwhelmed with it and that's why he had to lie down."

"Rachel, thank you again for making this happen. I wouldn't want Danny to be anywhere else but here with me."

"You're welcome, Steve. Now, let me go check on my lasagna."

Rachel headed to the kitchen to see how dinner was progressing while Steve went to call Kono and tell her to bring the littles over in an hour.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50 – break here

Kono quietly opened the door to the house and let herself and the littles in. She saw Chin sitting on the couch watching TV, but there was no sign of anyone else.

"Hey, cuz! Where is everyone?"

The littles scrambled to climb up on the couch on either side of Chin and snuggled in to watch the Animal Planet show he had on. He threw one arm around each of their shoulders and smiled down at them and then looked at his cousin.

"Danny and Grace are taking a nap in Danny's new room, which is great by the way. Rachel is in the kitchen working on dinner, which smells delicious. Steve is out getting in a swim. He should be back in shortly."

Kono sank into the recliner.

"Wow. It feels great to have everyone back where they belong. I'm so glad we got to this point."

She and Chin exchanged solemn looks. They knew how rough the last few months had been on everyone, but now they were on an upward swing.

Steve came hustling back into the house, ran upstairs, showered and changed. Rachel told Steve and Chin to get Danny and Grace up and moving and they all gathered in Steve's seldom used dining room for a family dinner, which was as delicious as it smelled.

After dinner, Steve grinned at Danny.

"So, Danno, did you show the littles your new room?"

"Why, no, Steven, I haven't done that yet. So, Tiger? Kitten? Would you like to see my new room? Grace has already seen it."

"Sure, Danno!"

Both children answered happily.

Danny got up on his walker and the kids followed him into his new room. They oohed and aaahed over every nook and cranny. Charlie really thought the disappearing pocket door was the neatest thing ever.

Then Danny called over to Charlie.

"So, Tiger, do you have any ideas what we should maybe do with my old room?"

Charlie's eyes sparkled and his glance danced between Danny and Steve. He knew what he wanted, but he didn't dare hope. Plus, his mom was always telling him not to be greedy. But, could he maybe ask? Was that too greedy? Well, his Danno did tell him that when you wanted something, you had to let people know.

"Um, I dunno, Danno. Mebbe Unca Steve needs it for sumfin. But, if he don't, do you think maybe I could use it to sleep in for my very own room here, like Joanie and Gracie have?"

"Hmmmm, I dunno. Steve, what do you think?"

"Well, I don't know either, Danno. Maybe Charlie and I should go up and see if a bed for him would even fit in that room."

"But, Unca Steve. Danno's bed fit and I don't even need a bed that big. I just need a teeny bed!"

Charlie followed Steve out of the room, with Grace, Joan, Rachel and Kono trailing along. Chin stayed behind with Danny.

The two men smiled at each other as they heard the wild cry of delight from upstairs, and then Charlie was yelling "thank you, thank you, thank you, Unca Steve!" over and over again. Then his feet were clomping down the stairs.

"Careful on the stairs, Tiger! No running!"

Danny called from his room, in a futile attempt to slow down the little boy.

Charlie came running in and threw himself into Danny's arms.

"Thank you, Danno! Thank you, Unca Chin. Thank you everybody! It's the coolest room ever! It's got all racing cars. Come see, Unca Chin!"

With that, Charlie grasped Chin's hand and dragged him upstairs. Steve had headed downstairs and entered Danny's room.

"Man, there is nothing like the feeling you get when you do something cool for a little kid, is there?"

"It's the best!" replied a happy and tired Danny.


	67. Chapter 67

**A/N: Once again, your reviews all make me smile! I am glad that you are still enjoying this story and I look forward to writing more. As I am drawing near to the end of this particular story arc, I wonder what you all would like to see happen next? Can't guarantee it will happen but I am interested to find out what you might be looking for!**

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The entire Ohana was getting together on Saturday to celebrate Danny's return home. Although Danny wasn't able to go upstairs to see Charlie's new room, Steve had taken a number of pictures on his phone and then got a good picture of Charlie's surprise when he first saw it.

Rachel had found a blue racing car bed and had done the room in a racing car theme. There was a rug on the floor that had a racetrack on it so Charlie could play with his Matchbox cars on it. There was also room for a small dresser and a small bookshelf, which could double for toy storage. Rachel had optimized every inch of space and Charlie was delighted that he had "a room of his very own at Danno and Unca Steve's."

On Saturday morning, Charlie woke up early and ran downstairs to where Danny was sitting in his recliner and carefully hugged Danny's good leg.

"Thank you again for my racing car room, Danno."

"You like it, huh, Tiger?" asked Danny.

"It's great, Danno. But, I didn't want you to get hurt so I could have my own room."

Charlie sadly looked at the floor. Danny reached over and chucked him under the chin, until he raised his eyes.

"Well, that's just the way it worked out Charlie. I was already hurt and I had to give up the upstairs bedroom. I know you would rather that I didn't get hurt, but since I was, it didn't make sense for you to not get a room out of it. Besides, Uncle Steve likes to spend his money on us."

Danny grinned cockily at his partner, who had heard Charlie get up and had followed him downstairs. Steve choked out a laugh and rolled his eyes.

After everyone had gotten up and Steve had fed them all breakfast, they picked up around the house a little bit, although it didn't need much since Leila had just been there. Rachel had arrived and they were all getting ready for their party. Everyone was bathed and dressed and waiting for their guests to arrive.

"All right, children, before everyone gets here, let's have a little conversation, shall we?"

Rachel spoke to everyone that had gathered in Danny's room.

The children, Steve and Danny all looked at her expectantly.

"Now, you children know that Danno still needs a lot of rest and time to feel better because he has been very sick."

"He gotted shot, Auntie Wach." Put in Joanie.

Rachel swallowed hard at the thought that these small children even knew what that meant, and then smiled at the little girl.

"Yes, he did sweetheart. So, you know he still needs a lot of rest. So, when Danno is in his room and the door is closed, the rule is that no one except Uncle Steve or myself can go in. Do you all understand?"

"Yes mom" responded Grace and Charlie.

"Okay, Auntie Wach." Said Joanie.

"Now, I mean this, children. Danno will need his rest and it is important that he get it. No one breaks this rule, or there will be real trouble. I know that we all want Danno to get better, so I know we will all follow this rule."

Rachel darted a quick glance over at Danny, wanting to be sure that he agreed with her pronouncement. He grinned back, glad that she had thought of this. Because, the fact was that while Danny was absolutely thrilled to be home, he tired very quickly and he knew that he would need to have an oasis to go to when he needed a break.

"All right you guys, we're going to institute the rule right now, in fact."

Steve had observed that Danny was already looking a little tired. He figured they had time for Danny to get in a nap before everyone arrived, so he hustled everyone out of the room.

"Okay, buddy. Let's get you settled in bed and I'll wake you up when the guests start arriving, okay?"

"One of these days, you are not going to be tucking me in like Sleeping Beauty, you gigantic goof." Danny said sarcastically.

"Well, there ain't gonna be no kiss to wake you up, buddy." Steve grinned.

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Kono and Adam were the first to arrive, followed closely by Chin and Leilani. The other Ohana were then constantly trickling in and out from the house to the lanai. Haku and Lila arrived and were warmly welcomed, everyone having become well acquainted with them during Danny's hospitalization and rehab.

When Max arrived, he asked where Danny was and when he was told he was laying down in his new room he decided to head inside to check on him. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, he felt a teeny push at his hip. He looked down to see a very angry looking Charlie.

"You not sposed to go in there! You not Mommy or Unca Steve! You leave Danno's door alone!"

Charlie shoved at him again and Max stumbled backward, more in surprise than that the little boy had actually been able to move him.

At the same time, Joanie had run out onto the lanai and grabbed Steve's hand.

"Come quick, Unca S'eve. Sumpin bad. You gotta fix!"

The little girl was so agitated as she pulled Steve along that Rachel, Chin and Kono immediately followed after them wondering what was wrong. They were astonished to see the face-off between Charlie and Max. Charlie looked like a miniature Danny, with his angry face and his little body stretched to as tall and wide as he could make himself, with his hands on his hips and stance wide as he tried to block the perplexed doctor from entering Danny's room. Steve and Rachel burst into laughter as they realized how seriously the littles had taken their instructions, while Chin and Kono, and especially Max, were just confused.

After Steve explained, Max earnestly apologized to Charlie and Joanie and told them that he wasn't aware of the rule or he wouldn't have broken it. The two littles were mollified by that, although Charlie kept a very watchful and suspicious eye on Max for the rest of the night.

After sending everyone back out to the lanai, Steve entered the room and woke Danny up (with a poke to his good shoulder, not a kiss), and helped him get ready and hobble out to join the group.

Kamekona had brought a large variety of shrimp and Rachel had made a huge dish of mostaccioli with a meat and veggie sauce that everyone praised. One of the things Rachel always relished from her marriage to Danny were the wonderful recipes that Clara had shared with her.

Joanie snuggled up next to Kamekona at one of the tables on the deck. She still found the big man absolutely fascinating. Flippa sat across from them and the little girl was happily telling the two large men a story with her Barbie dolls that seemed to be have them mesmerized.

Grace had assigned herself the duty of "chief Danno helper" and was constantly checking with her dad if he needed something else to drink or eat and then happily shuttling whatever item he wanted over to where he sat. While she had always been a good girl, the last few months had seen a drastic leap in her maturity level. She was no longer the little girl who was enamored of boys and had taken off to the beach with Jason. The fear of losing both her brother and her dad had solidified in her mind what was important in life and she was taking a much greater interest in her schoolwork and her future plans. She was just 14, and yet Danny, Rachel, and Steve as well as the rest of their Ohana had all taken note about how much more serious and thoughtful she had become.

When Haku and Lila had arrived, Haku headed down to check out the action on the beach and Danny waved Lila over to sit with him. When Haku returned, his eyes narrowed at Danny's broad grin and then he just burst into laughter.

"Little Haole, you are one sneaky man. I just turn my back and there you are trying to move in."

Lila and Danny both laughed with him. Lila gave Danny a quick kiss on the cheek and then got up and moved over by her husband. She threw her arm behind his waist and gave him a quick kiss as well.

"Sorry, Danny. Haku is still my hero, but you really know how to flatter a girl."

Danny's grin was infectious as he responded.

"Can't blame a guy for trying! Although to tell you the truth, Lila, Haku is kinda my hero too."

Charlie had gotten Steve to take him down to the water for a quick swim. Some of the other adults had joined them. Everyone noticed how much more confident the little boy was in the water. Even when he would get knocked over by a wave, he would regain his equilibrium very quickly. He had become like a little fish, able to navigate the waves and the surf with an ease that boys a few years older than he were not able to manage. Steve always hovered close by, but would let Charlie try to power through any difficulties on his own before he would step in to help.

Chin watched for a little bit and then turned to Steve.

"Wow! You have really been working with him, brah. That kid's a real waterman now. You steering him into the SEAL's?"

Steve smiled at the teasing.

"Nah, man. You know Danny would kill me and hide the pieces if I started talking to Charlie about the Navy! Fact is, I only want to steer him, and Joan and Grace too, into whatever they want to be. I just want them to have confidence and integrity."

Chin leaned over and clasped Steve's shoulder.

"Well, you're doing a great job with all of them, Steve. Your dad would be proud of you."

When he noticed Steve's eyes glistening, he turned back to watch the group in the water, in order to give him time to compose himself. Steve was relieved to hear Rachel call that they needed to get out of the water because the main courses were ready to be served.

Everyone had brought a different dish to share and Steve was sure there would be enough leftovers to feed his household for the next two weeks. Danny was happier than Steve had seen him in a long time. The injury and rehab had been hard on him, but he had come through with flying colors. Steve was grateful that the team had once again prevailed against the odds.


	68. Chapter 68

**A/N: A really short chapter to end this story arc. Can't wait to see what is in store for our Ohana next! Keep those reviews coming - they really fuel the creative fire! Thanks again everyone.**

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Danny was now doing out-patient physical therapy. Rachel usually arranged for his appointments to start after she had dropped off Grace at school and the littles at Day Care. She would then return to Steve's house to get Danny, drop him at PT and head home for work. She would return for him after two or three hours, depending on how much time the therapist had planned for the day.

Kassie had been returned to the McGarrett household and Danny was extremely happy for her company throughout the day. She napped almost as often as he needed to and it was nice to have someone to talk to when everyone was gone. Thanks to Steve and his Navy buddy, she was an extremely well-trained dog. She was on voice command and didn't need to be on a leash. Danny could let her out by himself and she would go do her business in her designated area of the yard and return when he called her.

Danny was happy to find himself spending a great deal of time with Grace, Charlie and Joanie. Steve was back at work full-time and since Danny was spending so much time home alone, he often encouraged Rachel to drop the kids off with him during the day. He kept telling her that he was fully capable of looking after them and that she should take some time for herself, while there was an opportunity to do so. Rachel was only willing to do this after she sat down with Grace and had a long talk with her. Once she was reassured that Grace understood that she really needed to watch the littles and not let them exhaust her father, Rachel would periodically drop the children off so she could go shopping or out to lunch with one of her friends.

To Danny's complete and very vocal disgust, after Haku had seen the layout of the beach at Steve's the day of the barbecue, one of the therapies he strongly recommended to strengthen his leg was swimming or even just walking in the water. Unfortunately for Danny, Haku also mentioned this to Steve. So, most nights after they were done with dinner, Steve would cajole or threaten him, whichever method worked best at that particular moment, and would get him out into the water with whatever children they happened to have at the time. Kassie always joined them enthusiastically. Steve knew better than to try and get Danny to join him on his morning swim.

Haku would stop by the house at least once a week. Danny had quickly become one of his favorite patients and he enjoyed the man's quick wit and their verbal sparring. Their relationship had transitioned from a professional one to a friendship over the time of Danny's rehab. Haku also made sure to spend some time every visit massaging Danny's leg muscles. Although it was painful, it also helped Danny's leg become stronger.

The littles also adored Haku and it always tickled Danny's funny bone to see the giant of a man sitting on their living room floor with either a Matchbook car or a Barbie grasped in his big hand as he played whatever game Charlie or Joanie had coerced him into.

Things had quickly settled back into a regular routine and three months after Danny's discharge from the rehab, he was released back to desk duty. He was thrilled to have hit all of the timelines that Dr. Shoana had initially set for him. He was actually disappointed with himself that he hadn't shortened them, but he knew that he had made a near miraculous recovery from a very damaging wound.

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The first day back at the Palace, after Danny had greeted all the well-wishers that stopped by from HPD, he limped into Steve's office. Steve looked up at him expectantly.

"What's up, buddy. Need something?"

"Yeah, Steven. I'm wondering when I can get released back to field duty?"

Chin was at the Smart Table and looked at Lou in puzzlement.

"What's that thumping sound?"

Lou looked around the office and then grinned back at Chin.

"I think you owe me $5 bucks, man. It didn't even take Williams a full day and McGarrett's already thumping his head on his desk."

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"Danny! Are you all right? Danny!"

Danny was laying on top of the perp he just brought down with a flying tackle and listening to an increasingly frantic Steve McGarrett call his name, the voice getting closer and closer. He had only been back on field duty for two weeks and they had been interviewing a very twitchy witness in their latest case when the man suddenly knocked McGarrett ass over teakettle down the nearby staircase and took off running with Danny in hot pursuit.

Danny had felt a few pulls in his leg as he ran, but surprisingly little pain. As he lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath he smacked the perp in the back of the head.

"What in the world is the matter with you? Did you think you were really going to get away?"

"I figured if I took McGarrett out, you'd never catch me, man. The newspapers all said your leg was shredded."

"Yeah. Not so shredded, you dummy."

Danny cuffed the man, hauled him to his feet and handed him off to the HPD back-up that had just arrived on the scene.

"Danny? You okay? How's the leg?"

Steve had his hand on Danny's back while Danny was bent over, catching his breath, and rubbing at his thigh. He finally straightened up and flipped his cocky grin McGarrett's way.

"Surprisingly, it's okay. A few twinges but not horrible. Frankly, it's my lungs. Dammit, I gotta start running again, that was almost too much for me. My wind isn't what it was."

The worried frown on his partner's face smoothed out.

"Yeah, and maybe fewer malasadas and more salads, Danno!"

They returned to the Camaro, amiably bickering over Danny's diet.


	69. Chapter 69

**A/N: A fun little break for our Ohana.**

Charlie was watching cartoons early on a Saturday morning, Kassie curled up next to him on the couch with her head in his lap. He had spent the night with his Danno and Uncle Steve because his Mom was working on a fundraiser today for one of the groups she volunteered with. Uncle Steve was swimming out in back, Danno was still asleep, and Grace had just gotten Joanie out of bed and changed for the day and they were in the kitchen getting some cereal for breakfast.

"Charlie! You want a bowl of cereal?"

"No, thanks Gracie. I not hungry yet."

"Okay, but you have to eat with Danno or Uncle Steve, then okay?"

"kay."

Grace knew all the adults were very careful about making sure that Charlie ate regularly, and kept a very careful eye on how much he actually consumed. One of the side effects from his HLH treatment was that he never had much of an appetite.

"Are you letting Kassie on the couch with you? You better not let Uncle Steve catch you."

"Okay, Gracie."

She heard the shuffling from the other room that indicated the little boy had moved onto the floor pillows with Kassie. She grinned at Joanie and said "boys!" Joanie giggled and took another spoonful of her cereal.

The door from the lanai opened and a soaking wet Steve strode into the room.

"Unca S'eve!" shouted Joanie as she hopped off her chair and dashed over to throw herself into her uncle's arms. He caught her and lifted her high in the air, grinning at her infectious giggles. He smiled over at Gracie.

"Thanks for getting her up and moving, Gracie."

"No problem Uncle Steve."

"Is Danno still sleeping?"

"Yep, he is. Charlie's watching TV, but he hasn't had breakfast yet."

Steve nodded his head at her, having received the message loud and clear.

"I'll get changed and then wake Danny up. Then I can feed Mr. Crankypants and Charlie at the same time."

Joanie and Grace both giggled at the apt description of Danny, especially after he would first wake up in the morning.

Steve put Joanie back down on her chair to finish breakfast and headed for the stairs to get a shower and get dressed. He poked his head into the living room to greet Charlie before he headed upstairs. He made quick work of the shower and when he came downstairs he could hear the shower in Danny's room running.

He gave Charlie a happy grin and asked him what he wanted for breakfast.

"Can we has pancakes Unca Steve?"

"That sounds great Charlie. I'll start mixing up the batter."

Charlie trailed after Steve into the kitchen where they joined Grace and Joanie.

"Do you girls want pancakes?"

"No, thanks Uncle Steve. I had enough cereal."

"Can I have one pancakes Unca S'eve?"

Steve smiled at his niece. She was such a social butterfly that she always had breakfast with whomever was eating at any given time.

"You bet you can princess. That's no problem. Now, what do you kids want to do today?"

"I don't know, Uncle Steve."

"I dunno Unca Steve."

"I dunno Unca S'eve."

Steve looked at the three children in disbelief. They always had something that one or the other of them wanted to do, especially with all of the different activities they had been signed up for. He could not believe that they had a whole Saturday to themselves and no idea of how they were going to fill the time. He grinned as his partner strolled into the kitchen.

"Good morning sleepyhead! You're looking well today."

And he was. After Danny's potentially devastating injury, Steve was always happy to see how well his partner looked these days. He was walking much better with barely a limp. Haku had designed an exercise program for his injured leg that had continued to build the strength in it and Steve had kept up the therapy even when Danny cursed him out. The result was that Danny had regained almost all of his strength and function in his leg.

He had been back on field duty for over a month and while his leg sometimes ached after a particularly strenuous day, so far he had been able to keep up with the grueling demands of their job. He had even started a running routine in the evenings with Grace. He told Steve that he wasn't fast enough for Steve to join them yet.

Danny had grabbed up each child in turn and delivered a wet, smacky kiss to each of their little cheeks. The children all giggled at the familiar morning routine, even Grace, who thought she should be too old for this by now, but after coming so close to almost losing her dad, found that she didn't care what anybody thought of these sloppy displays. If this wasn't 'cool,' she was okay with not being cool.

"Thank you, Steven. You are looking equally well. I assume you have already gotten in your swim to the mainland and back?"

Steve just rolled his eyes at Danny's question.

"Not quite to the mainland, buddy. Just my regular distance. Speaking of which, we should probably make sure you get a swim in today or tomorrow. Need to keep that leg strong."

"Yes, Mother. Thank you for that reminder. No problem. What's the plan for today, so I can see if I can fit in a swim."

"Well, I was just discussing that with the kids. I can't believe it, but we don't actually have a plan for anything after breakfast."

Steve was serving up the pancakes as he chatted. Grace reached over and put syrup on Joan's lone pancake and cut it up for her, while Danny performed the same service for both his and Charlie's plates. Steve finally sat down with his full plate. Danny gestured in surprise.

"Pancakes, Steve? Not one of your disgustingly healthy breakfasts?"

"Nothing wrong with a little carbo load every once in a while, Daniel. Now, what do you think we should do with this fun and free day we have going on?"

They all just looked at each other while they ate, but no one made any suggestions. Danny finally grinned and offered up an idea that he knew would surprise Steve.

"How about horseback riding?"

"What?"

"Horsies" shouted Charlie, and was echoed a second later by Joanie.

"Horseback riding, Danno? Where?" Grace was pretty excited.

"I was reading about this place on the North Shore. They do horseback rides along the beach. I used to go all the time in Jersey, oddly enough, but I haven't gone since that case we had a couple of years ago, remember Steve?"

"Yeah, I sure do, Danno."

"So, we could each take one of the littles in front of us, and Grace has had lessons before, so she could be on her own. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea, man. Why don't you call and make sure they can take us today? I wouldn't want to drive all the way out there and find out they were all booked up."

"No problem, buddy."

With that, Danny headed into his room to retrieve his cell phone and the paper with the phone number. After calling and getting confirmation that they would be able to head out around 1:00, he headed back into the kitchen to pack up some snacks and juice boxes in case they would need them, and he noted that Steve was already prepping a small first aid packet, making sure to have one of Joanie's epi pens.

Everyone got cleaned up after breakfast and did some Saturday morning chores, getting the bathrooms cleaned, and starting some laundry. Checking in with Danny, the men agreed that they would do the horseback ride and then head over to Kamekona's for a nice lunch on the beach. Joan, in particular, beamed at that plan. She always loved spending time with Kame.

The men loaded the children into Steve's Silverado and Danny hoisted himself into the passenger seat, while Steve stood next to him outside the truck.

"All right, babe. You can stand down. I don't need you to spot me getting into the truck any more, I can really do it myself."

Danny grouched at Steve, but deep down he was touched that his friend still worried about him so much.

"Just making sure you don't slip and dent my vehicle, Danno! You know I hate when there's any marks on it."

"Like it would have a chance to get any marks on it, since it's a rare occasion you actually drive the damn thing anywhere."

"Swear jar Danno!"

Three voices piped up together from the back seat and Danny just groaned and dropped his head. He figured he must owe the swear jar about $25.00 bucks now.

"All right gang. Let's take it a little easy on Danno today, okay? We might have to give him a pass on the swear jar this once."

Charlie and Joanie grinned at Steve, but it was Grace that answered him.

"Uh uh, Uncle Steve. It's a rule. You always say that there are rules for a reason, so Danno's gonna have to pay up."

"Monkey! You're the one I always count on to be on my side."

"I'm always on your side, Danno, but you still have to pay the swear jar. It's not good for the littles to get bad example, you know."

Danny smiled to himself. His little girl sounded just like her mother. In years past, that would have annoyed him, but these days, it just made him proud.


	70. Chapter 70

**A/N: I hope it doesn't get boring to hear this, but thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews. It certainly helps to keep the story rolling!**

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**Today our little Ohana heads out on their horseback ride. Come along for the trip.**

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Steve swung the Silverado into the parking space and started helping the littles get out of the truck. Danny swung out of the truck on the passenger side by the time Steve had the littles and Grace out of the back. They headed to the entrance and were greeted by a friendly and enthusiastic young woman.

"Hi! I'm Amy and you must be the Williams party. We've been waiting for you."

"Hi Amy, I'm Danny Williams. This is my daughter Grace and my son Charlie, and right there is Steve McGarrett with his niece Joan."

"Hi kids. I've picked out a great horse for you Grace. The horses I have for you gentlemen are very used to children so I think we'll have a fun ride today."

Amy kept chatting as she led them into the barn. She led out a beautiful buff colored horse and brought her over to Grace.

"Now, Grace, your dad told me that you have had lessons, so I think you are going to really enjoy riding Marshmallow. She's a real sweetheart."

Grace began petting the horse and speaking gently to her. Steve looked over at the littles and stifled a chuckle when he saw how huge both their eyes had gotten at the sheer size of the horse. He reached over and put a hand on Joanie's blond curls and when she looked up at him, he smiled and softly spoke to his niece.

"She's a pretty big horse, huh Joanie?"

"She really big Unca S'eve. I don't fink I wanna ride a horsie."

"It's okay, princess. You aren't going to ride by yourself. You'll be on the horse with me, okay?"

He watched as Joanie looked him over, and then looked the horse up and down, and turned back to him. She wrinkled her nose as she scrutinized him again.

"Are you a good horsie rider, Unca S'eve?"

Danny burst out laughing.

"What's the matter, Kitten? Are you worried about Uncle Steve making the horse go too fast or speeding off a cliff?"

Joanie looked over at Danny, and she definitely looked worried. Seeing her distress, Danny felt bad that he might have scared her and immediately launched into soothing her.

"It's okay, Kitten. I'm just teasing you. Uncle Steve is a very safe, very careful horse rider. I've seen him ride before, and he really does know what he's doing. You don't have to worry."

Then Danny turned to Charlie.

"You don't have to worry either Tiger. I used to ride horses all the time back in Jersey. You wouldn't think they would have horses there, but they did and that was something your mom and I really enjoyed doing when we lived there. We're all going to do great."

Amy had all the horses saddled and assembled in a very short period of time. She let Joan and Charlie feed their horses some carrots and the children started to relax a little. Steve's horse was Bullet ('that figures' was Danny's sarcastic comment), and Danny and Charlie were on Dewdrop. Everyone was mounted and Amy led the group out, with a young man name Owen bringing up the rear.

Danny watched Grace carefully before he followed her out, and was pleased to see that her lessons were obviously a good investment. She definitely knew what she was doing and seemed very comfortable on the horse. First Amy had them all pose and then another employee of the stables took several pictures of each of them and then one group photo. Next, they rode in the arena for a little bit to make sure everyone was comfortable with their horse. Then they headed to the beach. Danny and Steve were very careful to let the horses just walk, since they didn't want the littles to get too nervous on their first time out. Grace and Amy did a little more cantering and would ride ahead of the group a little and then turn and head back. Owen stayed at the back of the group.

Steve was able to spot a pod of dolphins and pointed them out to Joanie and Charlie. The littles had definitely gotten into the spirit of the ride and every so often Joan would lean forward and pet their horse and then lean her head back into Steve's chest and look up at him and grin. He felt his heart melt a little more each time. Danny and Charlie were spending their time during the ride chatting and every so often, Steve would see his partner's arms tighten around the little boy and just give him a gentle hug.

By the time they were done, Joan and Charlie were very comfortable on the horses and everyone had a great time. Steve would have even continued for another hour or two, but a quick glance at his friend made him decide to head everyone back to the barn. He could tell from the lines around Danny's eyes that he had probably overdone it for the day, and he noticed that he would be rubbing his thigh when he thought no one was looking. In addition to that, the littles were also starting to flag.

After they got back to the stables, they spent some time feeding the horses more carrots and then thanked Amy and Owen profusely for a fun time. Danny had paid for copies of the souvenir photos and they gathered the kids together and set out for the parking lot.

Steve settled everyone into the truck and let it sit there idling while he looked over at his friend once again.

"What? Why are we not driving yet, Steve?"

"You okay, Danny? We can just head home."

"No, no, no, you don't buddy. You promised me garlic shrimp and shaved ice and that is what I shall have. We're all hungry, sweaty and smell like horse poop. So, I'm gonna at least get fed before I get my shower."

"I don't smell wike horse poop!" Joanie wailed from the rear seat.

Danny hung his head. Kids! You always had to be careful what you said when there were little ears listening.

"No, you don't, Kitten. You kids all smell like sunshine and daisies. It's Steve that smells like horse poop."

"Hey!"

Steve sputtered out his protest as the kids collapsed into giggles. Danny smirked at Steve and expansively waved his hand at the road ahead of them.

"Proceed to our destination, my friend. I, for one, am starving."

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They arrived at Kamekona's shrimp truck and Steve parked in the lot. He looked over at Danny and then craned his neck to look in the back seat. There was only one set of eyes looking back at him. Everyone except he and Grace were sound asleep.

"What do you think, Gracie?"

"Is Danno asleep too Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, he's out like a light."

"Why don't we have Kamekona make our orders to go? By the time we get back to your house, everybody would have at least been sleeping for a little while and we could eat and get the littles into the bath and their jammies. We could watch a movie or something."

"Gracie Williams, you are the smartest girl in the world. Do you mind going and ordering? Just get us what we usually have."

Steve pulled out his wallet and handed money to Grace.

She smiled happily at him, hopped out and headed over to the shrimp truck. He made eye contact with both Kame and Flippa and once they nodded back, he relaxed a little, since he knew that they would keep an eye on her while she ordered and he wouldn't have to leave Danny or the littles.

Kame walked back with Grace, and he was carrying the bulk of the order.

"Grace said you wiped the crew out with horseback riding today, bruddah. Sounds like fun."

"It was a good time, but now it's time to get the family home and fed. Thanks for the door to door service, buddy."

"Anytime. But it's really for my friend Grace, not you McGarrett."

Steve loved the beaming smile that Gracie shot Kamekona's way.

"Thanks Kamekona! I can't wait to taste your new shaved ice flavor next time."

"Rainbow surprise, sistah. It's going to sell like hotcakes. Hey, that's a good thought. I wonder if I could do a hotcakes shaved ice."

Kamekona was muttering to himself about his great new idea as he distractedly turned away and walked back to the shrimp truck.

"I don't think that particular idea will sell like hotcakes, buddy."

Steve heard the mutter under Danny's breath as he put the truck into gear and pulled out into the parking lot. Steve cracked up. Trust Danny to not be as fully asleep as he thought


	71. Chapter 71

Steve hustled everyone into the house and had the orders of shrimp and fries served up while they were still warm. Grace and Joan dug in with gusto while Charlie just poked his shrimp around on his plate, every once in a while he would take a bite of one or sample half a French fry. Danny and Steve exchanged a worried glance.

"Hey Charlie! You want something else? I can make you a hot dog or a peanut butter sandwich. You name it, buddy, I can make it for you."

"No, thanks Unca Steve. I not really hungry right now."

Charlie wrinkled up his nose and pushed his plate away from his chair.

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but Danny just shook his head at him, while he responded to Charlie.

"That's okay, Tiger. Why don't you run upstairs with Uncle Steve and he can draw a bath for you and get you in your jammies. Grace, can you keep an eye on Joan while I get my shower? Then, Joanie can get her bath and you can take a bath or shower, whatever you want okay, Monkey?"

"Sure, Danno."

Charlie headed to the upstairs bath and Steve pulled Danny into the living room.

"He didn't eat very much, Danny."

"Yeah, I know, babe. I think he's just over-tired. Once we have everybody in their jammies and watching a movie, I'm gonna make some grilled cheese sandwiches. Charlie will usually eat at least half of one of those, sometimes a little more."

"Sounds like a plan Danny. When I come back downstairs I'll make sure we have enough bread and cheese. We really need to get a shopping list together for tomorrow. We're starting to get a little low on provisions."

"Provisions, GI Joe? Most people just say groceries, but whatever."

Steve shot a grin at Danny and then sprinted upstairs to get Charlie in his bath. Danny could hear Grace and Joan singing a nursery song in the kitchen while they finished their dinners, and he headed for his shower.

As Danny let the warm water wash over him, he once again silently thanked Steve and Rachel for the terrific accommodations in his room. He was seated in the shower, and was slumped exhaustedly in one corner, letting the water and shampoo and shower gel run over him. He was more tired than he had been in a long time, but it was a good kind of tired from having a fun day with his friend and the kids. Not the exhausted tired that he had felt for months on end while he was recuperating from the shooting.

He got dressed in warm sleep pants and a tee shirt and headed for the living room, where he joined Steve and Charlie who were already cuddling on the couch. Grace and Joan entered the room a few minutes later and Joanie was handed over to Steve, while she headed back upstairs to get her shower.

Danny smiled fondly while he regarded his best friend with the two kids snuggled in close. They were discussing what movie they wanted to watch, and Steve was whining to Joanie that he couldn't sit through "The Little Mermaid" again. Joanie finally smiled at her uncle, gave him a little kiss on the cheek and told him that he could pick the movie, because she just wanted to watch "anyfing wif you Unca S'eve." Danny grinned when his buddy turned suspiciously moist eyes his way and asked "what about 'The Lion King', Danno?"

"Sounds great Super Seal. I'll pop it in the player. Ya know, I'm a little hungry, I'm going to make some grilled cheese sandwiches and cut them into triangles. I'll bet Gracie will eat a couple of triangles. Anybody else?"

"Me Danno!" came from the three musketeers on the couch. Danny flipped a wink at Steve and headed for the kitchen. Once he had assembled a plate of gooey cheese goodness and a fruit bowl, he headed back to the living room. The movie had already started and Grace was now occupying a corner of the recliner, leaving plenty of room in the big chair for her dad. He knew she wouldn't be little enough for this for much longer, so he was going to enjoy every moment he could get.

He set the plate on the coffee table and was gratified to see that everyone devour their treat and to his surprise, he was pretty sure that Charlie had eaten three triangles! Steve grinned at him over Charlie's head and gave him a thumps up.

The two littles were already asleep before the credits started rolling. Steve eased Joanie to one side and scooped Charlie up and carried him to his bedroom, with a sharp admonition to Danny to 'stay put!' Once he had the little boy settled, he hurried back downstairs for Joanie and settled her into her toddler bed. He returned to the living room in time to give Gracie a kiss good night before she headed upstairs. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer for himself and one for Danny and headed back to the living room.

He clinked his bottle on Danny's, and with a soft smile, made a toast.

"Another happy day in Paradise, buddy."

"You got that right, Steven. You definitely got that right."

**A/N: This ends another story arc. Once again, thanks for all the wonderful comments, faves and follows. I don't know when I will post again as I have a very busy August. I didn't want anyone to worry when I wasn't on my regular Monday/Thursday schedule. My little Ohana will be back!**


	72. Chapter 72

**A/N: I have been missing for a long time, but real life has been a little overwhelming. However, the 5-0 Muse has found me again, especially after I saw some pictures of Carol Burnett in her upcoming storyline. So, I started writing again. Thanks for those that left me a comment or messaged me asking me if I were going to continue. It was nice to see that other people are still interested in this little Ohana. I hope you enjoy!**

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"Hurry up, you guys! The call is connecting!"

Steve McGarrett was bellowing to the other occupants of the house. His little niece, Joanie, was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, his laptop was open in front of her and the Skype call was going through. He could hear Grace and Charlie upstairs and his partner, Danny Williams, was speaking softly to them.

His attention focused on the screen and he smiled as his Aunt Deb came into focus. Before he could speak, the little girl in front of him squealed excitedly.

"Aunt Deb! Hi Aunt Deb! Hi! Where Unca Fun?"

Deb laughed at the nickname as she smiled back at the little girl. She recalled how when Joanie first started talking she could not pronounce Leonard's name and began calling him Uncle Fun. They realized it was because Leonard always asked the little girl if she was ready to have fun when they were about to do something. Charlie had also taken to calling Leonard by the nickname.

"Hi Joanie. My goodness, you are getting to be such a big girl! Look at her Steve. She's glowing!"

"Yeah, she's glowing all right. How are you and Leonard doing, Deb?"

"We're doing great, honey. We really are. Oh, here's Leonard now"

Deb stepped a little to the side so Leonard could get in the picture.

Steve was a little taken aback by how much weight Leonard had lost in just the few weeks since their last Skype call. But, the smile was still the same.

"Hey, Steve. You look great. Hey! There's my little dollface! Are we going to have fun on this call, Joanie?"

"Hi Unca Fun! We went horsie riding!"

"You did! I'll bet you were the best horse rider there was, weren't you?"

"Watch yourself, Leonard. The other horse riders are just coming into the room, and you know how Danny pouts when he doesn't get to be best at something."

Steve ducked as Danny swatted him in the back of the head.

"Hey Deb, Hey Leonard! You're both looking great. I'm just going to get out of the way so that Charlie can sit with Joan and Grace can get behind them. You guys have a great call."

"See you Danny!" The two Californians called.

They then spent the next fifteen minutes listening to the children tell them everything that had been happening, trying to keep up with the garbled and happy conversation.

Steve finally put an end to the kid's part of the call by telling them that it was time for everyone to go into the kitchen and let Danny feed them all breakfast while he finished up the video call. It took another five minutes for the kids to throw kisses and say "bye bye" to Deb and Leonard.

After they were all in the kitchen, Steve turned back to the screen and regarded his aunt's smiling face.

"What?"

"Oh, Steve, you are doing so well with Joanie. She looks so happy and so do you. Charlie and Grace are adorable as always too."

Steve blushed to his hairline and smiled.

"Thanks, Aunt Deb. I miss Mary so much, but that little girl has just become everything to me. I can't imagine life without her, or Danny and his kids either."

They talked for a little bit about everything that was going on with each of them. Steve was pleased by how strong his Aunt looked, but he was a little more worried about Leonard. He thought, once again, that he should start trying to plan a trip to California with Joan to see his aunt and uncle. Before he could get any further down that path, Danny started yelling for him to come out and help with the kids and swimming.

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**A/N: A short chapter to kick things off, but more is coming!**


	73. Chapter 73

**A/N: I had a couple of different ways I could have gone with this story. So, warning of minor character death, because I chose the sadder approach.**

A couple of weeks after that call, the team was in the 5-0 offices. Chin and Lou were working some details from their current case on the Smart Table. Kono was in her office on the phone with one of their informants. Danny and Steve were in Steve's office working out the stakeout schedule when Steve's phone rang.

The caller was Steve's Aunt Deb with the sad news that Leonard had passed away during the night. Deb's voice trembled as she told him, but she was valiantly trying to hold herself together. Steve tried to be as much of a comfort to his aunt as he could over the phone, but he had already made up his mind that he was going to be the comfort she needed, in person.

"Okay, Aunt Deb, I'll email you my flight information…."

"Oh, Steve, you don't have to come. It's okay. It'll just be a small service. It's so far and you're so busy, it's too much for you. Plus, I wouldn't even be able to offer you a guest room. Some of my friends from the East Coast are coming and I had already offered them to stay here."

"Deb, I'm coming. Leonard was a wonderful man and he was important to you, and YOU are important to me. We'll be there. I'm sure you want to see Joan. I will just get a room at that hotel I stayed at before."

"Oh, Steven. I hate to have you do this, but I must admit it would be a comfort to have you and Joan here. I just feel so selfish having you come all this way."

"Deb, relax. Don't worry about it. The team can handle our current case with no problem. Having Lou on board really helps out at times like this."

"Well, if you're sure, Steve. Although I know how important it is to you to be in the middle of the action. It's a McGarrett Man trait, you know. Send me your flight information. I'll pick you up."

"You know what, Deb? I'll send you the information on what day I'll be there, but I'm not sending the flight info. You don't need to pick us up. I'll text you when we land, okay?"

"Oh. Okay, that's fine Steve, but let me know the dates and I will arrange the hotel. The manager was a friend of Leonard's and he will give me a break on the room. I don't want any argument about it, okay, Steve? Thanks so much, honey. It will be good to have you here."

Steve and his aunt said good-bye and Steve gave a big sigh. He then looked over at Danny's office and was surprised to find his partner standing in his doorway with a huge scowl on his face.

"You know how you're always saying I have a face? That right there is a prizewinner. What's the look for? I would have expected you would be sad about Leonard, but how do you get off being pissed at me? For What?"

"For what he says. I swear to God, if you were raised by wolves you would have more of an understanding of how the human world works. As it is, I have to explain to you every nicety of life and how family behaves, don't I?"

"What are you going on about now, Danny?"

Danny sighed deeply, crossed his arms, and pinned Steve with his glare.

"Steven. Your beloved aunt's husband just died. You will be going to the mainland for the funeral. You will be bringing Joan with you. I am your best friend. I have spent a lot of time over the last several months speaking with Deb and Leonard and becoming closer and closer with them. Leonard just died. I am also grieving his loss. Do you have any idea where I am going with this?"

Danny could almost see the lightbulb go off over Steve's head.

"Hey, man, why don't you come with? Deb could get a room with two doubles and we could put a portacrib in for Joan. The change of scenery would do you good, and you could lay out by the pool and work on your suntan."

Danny's voice was dripping with sarcasm when he replied.

"Why, yes, Steven, I would like to accompany you to your Uncle's funeral. I would like to show my respect by being there at his service. By the way, your Aunt is going to need you more than you think she is, and it would be helpful to have someone who can keep an eye on Joan. Don't think you're gonna just hand my little Kitten off to any shmuck that's just standing around there."

Steve grinned at his partner and put in a call back to his aunt to let her know that Danny would accompany him for the services.

Danny headed back to his office and put in a call to Rachel to let her know that he would be out of town to attend the funeral and was quite surprised at her reaction. She felt that both she, Grace and Charlie should accompany them to California. She had gotten quite close to Steve's Aunt Deb when Danny had been shot, since Deb and Leonard called her almost daily to get an update on Danny's condition and to speak with the children. She was very sad that Leonard had passed away. Danny, although surprised that she wanted them to all go, was fine with her decision and spoke to Steve to let him know of the change to their travel plans, which once again necessitated a call to Aunt Deb to update her. She was laughing at all the changes when she finally hung up with him.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

The reservations were made. The three adults and three children were heading for LA on Saturday morning. The two men had received a week off from work. The Governor had been assured that Chin, Kono and Lou would be more than able to cover any situation that might arise in Steve and Danny's absence. Rachel's job was so portable that she was able to do it from anywhere that she had an internet connection. Everything was all set for them to fly out first thing on Saturday morning. They just had to get through one more day.

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

Danny sighed as he finished his notes on the computer. He hit "send" and forwarded the documents to whatever hole they ended up in at the Governor's office. He hadn't actually believed he would get through it all, but that was the last of his reports. Anything else could wait for their return from LA.

His cell phone went off, and he grinned at Rachel's picture.

"Hey Rach. What's going on?"

"Oh, Danny."

His ex was crying. That didn't bode well.

"Rach, what's going on? Everything okay? Are the kids okay, are you okay?"

"Oh yes, Danny. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you. I just got off the phone with my cousin Bea in London. I don't know if you remember my friend Patrice?"

"Yeah, sure I remember Patrice. I think she's the only one of your friends that actually likes me, isn't she?"

"Don't be ridiculous, everyone likes you. But, yes, that's Patrice. She always thought you were wonderful. Bea said that Patrice was killed in a car accident yesterday. They're having the memorial service over the weekend. Danny, I hate to do this, but Patrice was my lifelong friend. I have to….I wouldn't feel right not going back, but how are you and Steven going to handle the trip without me?"

"Rach, it's okay. I know how important she was to you and I'm so sorry that this happened. Don't worry. Steve and I will be able to handle the kids. After all, Grace is little Miss Teenager now. She will be a big help. Unless you wanted to take her with you?"

Danny couldn't believe they had gotten to this point. He used to be so jealous of any Grace time and would be furious when Rachel would try and block his access and now he was actually offering to do without her for a week. He was beyond relieved by Rachel's next words.

"Oh, no, Danny. She didn't know Patrice that well. I would rather that she go with you and Steve for Leonard's services. She will be a great help with the littles. Please tell Deb how sorry I am, I really wanted to meet her in person. But, I can't miss Patrice's service. Oh! I am so torn!"

"Tell you what, Rachel, make your plans and go to the thing. Then, you could always fly from London to LA, and then travel back to Honolulu with us. That might only give you a day or two in LA, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"That's a good idea, Danny! I'll look into flights after I get settled at Beatrice's. You're going to have to take all the children tonight, even though you aren't leaving until tomorrow. I am going to be able to take a flight this evening. Will that be all right with you and Steven?"

"No problem. I just finished up here anyway. I think Steve is close to done too, and it's probably better if I get both of us out of here before his boredom gets the better of him and he finds something to blow up. We'll come and get the kids now, should be there in about forty-five minutes, okay?"

"Thank you, Danny. That would be perfect."

"See you in a little bit, babe."

Danny looked up at Steve who had been in his doorway for the last few minutes.

"Did you catch all of that?"

"Enough to know that Rachel has to go to London, not LA, and that we need to go get the kids now. One of us should drive her to the airport and the other can take the kids back to the house. Her car can stay at the house, along with ours, since Leila is going to be staying at the house to dog sit."

"You can't ever stop with the logistics planning, can you Commander?"

"A good team leader is always prepared, Danny."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good team leader my ass."

They headed into the main office area, still bickering, and finished catching Chin, Kono and Lou up with everything that had just transpired. They were assured often and loudly that the trio would be able to handle anything that came up in their absence. Danny was chafing at the bit to get out of the building, and Lou finally shoved Steve out the door, with a jibe about how he couldn't believe that Steve wasn't able to let go and leave the office.

The men headed over to Rachel's to get the kids and get Rachel to the airport. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, with the two men handling the three children on the way to LA.


	74. Chapter 74

_A/N - Sorry it has been SO long since I have updated. Real Life definitely got in the way for me. However, now that we are on hiatus, I am going to try and update at least once a week. Special thanks to several PM's I received from readers asking if there was more. There is...and the nudges definitely helped me re-discover my muse. So, here we go..._

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"Do you have all the bags? Monkey? Do you have everything? Steven, are we ready to go?"

"Yeah, I got all the bags. Do you have Charlie's medicines?"

"Oh, yeah, but I want to make sure I grab that children's Tylenol just in case. Hang on a second."

Danny scampered back into the kitchen, while Steve loaded all the bags into the back of the truck. He got the kids buckled in and nodded at Leila who was just pulling in. Danny came hurrying out of the house, zipping up his backpack as he went. The backpack contained the kid's snacks and medicines and anything Danny considered vital to their welfare, including Joanie's dolly.

Steve got them to the airport in record time. They offloaded the kids and all the luggage, just as Kono's little red Cruze pulled up and Chin jumped out of the passenger seat. They had made the plan that Chin would drive the truck back to Steve's house so it didn't sit at the airport for the week. The cousins would be back to pick them up, with Steve's truck, when they returned.

Steve looked at the pile of luggage and people he was traveling with and remembered when he would leave the country for months or even years at a time with nothing more than one duffle bag. While it was definitely a different way of life, he wouldn't trade what he had now for that, not for anything.

Danny was busily checking their luggage in with the skycap. Each of them had a carryon and Danny had the ever important backpack slung across his shoulder. They would check the stroller in at the gate. Danny got Joanie settled into the stroller, while Steve scooped Charlie up to carry him through the security line. Danny had Grace pushing the stroller in front of Steve and he brought up the rear of the parade.

They cleared security and got to their gate with no problem. Steve walked Charlie over to the window so that he could see the planes. Danny could overhear Steve describing the type of plane and some of the features to the little boy. He shook his head fondly and then leaned over to check with Joan.

"Do you want to go see the planes with Uncle Steve and Charlie, Kitten?"

"No, fanks Danno. But, I want my dolly."

"Okay, sweetie, here you go."

As Danny handed over the dolly, he looked over to Grace.

"Everything good with you, Monkey? You need anything?"

"No, I'm good, Danno. I have some music loaded on my ipod and I have some books on my ipad too. Can we call Mommy, Danno?"

"Well, we're going to be boarding soon, Monkey. How about if we call her after we get settled in LA?"

"Okay, that's fine. Where are we staying, in a hotel?"

"Well, not exactly. Aunt Deb and Uncle Leonard live in a condo building and apparently the association keeps a condo for visitors of the residents. We were lucky because the condo was empty for the week we were going to be there, so Aunt Deb scooped it up. It's got three bedrooms and two baths. Steve can have his own room, Charlie and I will share and you two girls will share. Does that work for you?"

"Anything works for me, Danno. I just want to be there for Aunt Deb."

Danny smiled softly at his daughter's thoughtfulness and ruffled Joanie's blond curls. Just then, the flight attendants started calling for people with small children to line up for priority boarding, and that was definitely he and Steve.

"Yo, Rambo! Let's get in line over here."

Steve looked over and grinned and then he and Charlie joined Danny, Joan and Grace in line.

They boarded the plane and took a row to themselves. Danny had the aisle seat with Charlie in the middle and Grace on the window. Steve was across the aisle, also in the aisle seat and had Joan in the middle leaving the window seat empty. The last time Steve had checked the seating chart, that seat had still not been assigned, so he was hoping they would stay lucky.

Boarding was over, the doors had been closed, and the captain announced they would be pushing back from the gate in preparation for take-off. Blessedly, the extra seat was still empty. Charlie and Joan's eyes were wide as saucers. Neither child had been on a plane for a year. Charlie had flown often between Las Vegas and Oahu when he was little, but he had forgotten the wonders of airline travel. Steve double checked Joan's seat belt and saw Danny doing the same for Charlie and Grace. Danny handed him two pieces of gum.

"Make sure she doesn't swallow it, but it will help as they get this bird up in the air."

Steve smiled his thanks and gave the gum to Joanie. As the thrusters on the plane kicked in, she reached over and grabbed his hand. He reached over with his other hand to hold hers and then wrapped his now free hand around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, princess, everything's fine. This is the fun part."

Joanie looked up at him skeptically and then nodded her head. If Uncle Steve thought this was fun, then it was.

They were at cruising altitude and the children were all relaxed. Steve had already fretted that Joanie had swallowed the gum, but it was over and done with and she didn't seem the worse for wear. Grace had put her ipad on airplane mode and was quietly reading a book. Charlie looked over across the aisle, and poked Danny in the shoulder.

"Danno, can I go sit wif Joanie and Unca Steve for a while?"

"You sure can, buddy. Hey, Steven, Charlie's coming by you guys."

"Hey buddy, come on over."

Steve hefted Charlie up over the seats and nestled him into the window seat. He put his seat belt on and raised the armrest between his and Joanie's seats so the two toddlers could sit a little closer. Danny handed over the latest picture book that had been occupying the two littles and they settled back in their seats to look it over.

A few hours into the flight, Danny had been asleep for a while, the littles had just nodded off and Grace was still reading. Steve was wide awake and alert. Normally, he could sleep anywhere, anytime, but he felt that it was his place to stand guard while everyone else got their rest. He could sleep when they got to L.A. Danny woke up, stretched and checked where everyone was. He nodded to Steve that he was heading to the bathroom in the rear of the plane.

When he returned, he put a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Switch places with me, buddy. You can get some sleep for a little bit and I'll read until the littles wake up. Then I'm gonna try and get some peanut butter crackers or something into their little systems."

Steve agreed with the plan, so he switched out spots with Danny. Steve came awake just in time to hear the pilot announcing that they would be arriving in L.A. in 30 minutes. He couldn't believe he had been out that long. He looked around. Grace was sleeping, her head supported on a pillow that the stewardess must have gotten for her and she was leaning against the window.

Danny was sitting in the middle seat now and he had Joan on one side and Charlie on the other, with their armrests in the up position. They were both nestled into his side and he was reading one of their favorite Dr. Seuss books.

Steve couldn't believe he had been out that long. It had been a tough couple of weeks, but he hadn't realized he was so tired, but once he was able to relax knowing that Danny had everything covered, he completely shut down.

Steve opted to keep their little group in their seats until everyone else exited the plane. He didn't see the point in the children getting trampled in the aisle by the other passengers, and he figured this was the best option, because if anyone pushed one of the kids, Danny would probably lose his mind.

Finally, they were the last ones on the plane. They grabbed the kids and all the carry ons and made their way off the aircraft. Joanie was chirping "bye bye" to the flight attendants and Charlie was waving shyly at them. The stroller was on the jetway, so they got Joanie settled into it and proceeded to enter the terminal.

Once again, Steve led the group carrying Charlie, with Grace pushing Joanie in her stroller and Danny bringing up the rear. They headed for the car rental booths. A very pretty, young Budget representative, patted her hair and straightened her shoulders as she saw Steve approaching her desk, and stepped in front of her co-worker to wait on him.

"Good Afternoon, sir. I hope you have a reservation with us" she brightly greeted him.

"Yes. We do. McGarrett, Steven J."

"Let's see, here you are. Mr. McGarrett. I have a nice SUV for you. I think you will be very happy with it."

She proceeded to talk Steve through signing the paperwork and getting his credit card information. As the group left the rental counter and headed for the car lot, they missed the two rental agency women exchanging smiles.

"What a waste." Said the first.

"Oh yeah, but weren't they adorbs?" replied the second.

The two men carefully got all the children and luggage squared away in the SUV and, of course, Steve drove. Danny was carefully giving him the directions until they pulled up to Deb and Leonard's building. Danny had sent a quick text to Deb when they had started out, and she was waiting in the lobby to greet them.

The doorman offered to park the SUV in the garage after all the people and luggage were off-loaded and Steve gratefully took him up on the offer. He wrapped his arms around Deb and hugged her for all he was worth. The children all lined up behind him to give Deb a hug, and Danny was last of all. Deb wiped her eyes and smiled brightly at them through her tears.

"Come on, now, everyone. Let's get you all checked into the condo. I already have the keys right here and we can just head right up to the third floor."

They piled into the elevator and went to the "visitor condo." The children prowled through the place, while the men loaded all the luggage into their respective bedrooms.

"This is great, Aunt Deb. It's really a lovely place and it was great that it was available while we're going to be here."

"Yes, Steve. I was so happy that it was empty. But, I'm even more happy that I am getting to see all my little darlings. I wish Uncle Fun could have been here for this, but he always loved all of our Skype calls and getting to know all you children."

Deb had Joanie on her lap and Grace had taken a seat right next to her. Charlie was still hanging on Danny's leg, but he was smiling at Deb, and she was waving to him. Steve walked over and wrapped his arms around both Deb and Joan and hugged them tightly.

"I'm so sorry Deb. We should have tried harder to get here."

"Steven, none of that now. We all did the best we could and you needed to be where you were. I think it was so thoughtful of all of you to come all this way to support me during this time. I mean, it's just going to be a small service and luncheon, so it was so sweet of all of you. I'm going to let you all settle in and then we can head over to the funeral home tomorrow morning. I'm going to ride over with my house guests and you can follow us."

Steve walked his aunt back to her condo and then returned to their rooms. He looked at Danny and commented on how well his aunt was handling things.

"She probably doesn't even need us here, Danny. I thought she did, but she's a really strong person and could have done all this on her own."

Danny's eyebrows climbed his forehead at that.

"Babe. I told you before and I'm telling you now, your aunt is a very strong and very tough woman, but tomorrow is going to be really tough on her. You are going to be amazed at how tough it's going to be and how much she needs you to be there for her."


	75. Chapter 75

_A/N: Thanks so much for all your nice comments! It's nice to know that people are still reading this little story. _

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The next day only proved how right Danny's statement was. As the day wore on, Deb depended on Steve more and more. The service wasn't as small as she thought it would be. She hadn't realized how many friends both she and Leonard had. Danny and Grace kept the littles entertained while Steve stood by his Aunt's side as she greeted each mourner. She proudly introduced "my nephew, Lt. Commander Steven McGarrett" to each person.

At the luncheon, Steve could tell that Deb was reaching the limits of her energy. He gently convinced her to let Danny take her back to the condo by letting her think it was to let Joan and Charlie get a nap. The only reason she was willing to do so was because Steve promised that he would stay until the last guest at the luncheon had finished and departed. He was the perfect host, ably assisted by Grace who had stayed behind with him.

Once back at the condo, Danny had gotten Deb to lie down for a little bit by telling her that the littles would nap more easily if the condo were quiet and there was no activity going on. So, she was sleeping in the Master Bedroom and he had Joanie and Charlie both napping on the couch while he sat and read the newspaper and had a cup of coffee. Steve let himself and Grace back into the condo just as Joan was waking up.

"Hey, babe. Everything done, yeah?"

Steve had headed straight for Joan and was now rocking the sleepy-eyed little girl in his arms while he talked to Danny.

"Yeah. Deb's two houseguests are going to go do a little shopping before they come back to the condo. Thanks for texting me that everyone was sleeping. I think that's what convinced them to take their time getting back here."

"No problem. Your aunt was wiped out. For that matter, so were the littles."

"Thanks, Danny. I knew you'd come in handy on this trip."

"That's me, man. Handy Danny. Oh, man, forget I said that. I never want that one coming back to bite me on the ass."

"Okay, Danny, you get a pass. This time."

Steve turned away to cuddle Joan a little tighter, his shoulders heaving with silent laughter.

Once Deb woke up, her houseguests had returned and Danny and Steve hustled the kids back to their condo, promising to spend the next day with Deb.

* * *

Sunday saw Steve, Danny and the children spending all day with Deb. Her two houseguests had made other plans for the day, since they didn't want her to feel she had to entertain them while her nephew was there. They were planning to leave Monday morning.

Deb told Steve a lot of stories he had never heard before about their family. She related the few memories she had of his grandfather, as she had been six when Pearl Harbor was attacked. She had stories about she and his dad when they were children together; Jack and Doris' wedding and early years; and some fun stories from when he and Mary were kids. Everything pre-dated the car bomb that took his mother from them. Temporarily took his mother.

She had a lot of pictures for him. Pictures of his grandparents; pictures of Deb and his father when they were young; pictures that Jack had sent to Deb of his young family. Thursday was a very emotional day for Steve. Danny was again happy he had made the trip, if only to be a psychological bolster for his friend.

Deb stopped at a picture of a young Doris.

"Have you heard anything from your mother, Steve? Any sightings at all, other than at Mary's paddle-out?"

"No, not a word. Nothing from Joe either. The radio silence is actually a little eerie."

"I wish I could tell you what was on her mind, dear. But, I never understood the woman. Even though she has been my sister-in-law for decades, she and I were from completely different worlds."

"It's okay, Deb. I can't change Doris and I don't understand her. It's as if the woman who raised me really was killed by that car bomb. The woman who emerged from those flames is someone I never knew; I don't feel any connection to her. Every lie she spins, just puts another layer in between us."

"I'm so sorry, honey. I wish I could help you make sense of it all."

Steve paused for a minute before he gathered himself together and responded.

"Deb, you have always made sense of everything. I want you to know how much I …..how much I love you." Steve stumbled, but was able to choke it out. He grabbed both her hands.

"I love you so much and I always have." He continued brokenly. "Mary loved you. Joanie loves you. You are so special to me and I want you to know that. I should have said it a long time ago."

Deb sat with the tears running down her face and gripped Steve's hands a little harder.

"Oh, Steven! You never have to say it, I have always known that. And I love you. You are a wonderful man. You are everything that a McGarrett man should be and your grandfather and father would be so proud of you. I am proud of you, Steve. You have had to make many difficult choices in your life, I know that. But, whatever the choices were, they were good choices, because you are a good man. Please, always remember how much I love you."

At this, both McGarrett's were openly crying. Danny had herded the children into the other room as soon as he realized the conversation was getting serious. He was glad that Steve finally heard from someone in his biological family that he was important; that they were proud of him. He blessed Deb that she took the time to say it, while she still had the time.

* * *

Monday dawned and the men helped Aunt Deb's guests get their luggage down to the lobby and loaded into a taxi for their trip to the airport. Steve was worried about his aunt and knew how draining the last few days had been for her. He knew that she would have to get used to a life without Leonard and was extremely worried about her living in LA without either Mary or Leonard. Yes, she had a large network of friends, but all of them were older people, like she was, and he didn't know how much assistance they would be if she needed something.

Rachel called and checked in with Danny Monday evening. The services for Patrice had gone well and while she was enjoying the short respite with her family and friends in London, she was missing the children and was ready to fly to LA to finish out the week with them. She had made reservations to fly in Tuesday night and Danny would pick her up at the airport. Deb offered that Rachel could stay in her guestroom since her houseguests had left, and it might be over-crowded in the condo with the children. Rachel happily agreed.

* * *

Rachel hurried through the airport to catch her connecting flight to L.A. She was delighted that she was going to be able to spend a few days with Danny, Steve and the kids and she was really looking forward to meeting Deb in person. They had stayed in touch even after Danny was healed and out of the hospital and Rachel had come to look forward to their phone calls. Danny was scheduled to pick her up at LAX.

For his part, Danny was trying to hustle Grace into getting dressed to go pick up her mother with him, while trying to convince Charlie to stay home. Why is it children never wanted to do things the way you wanted? Grace was whining that she didn't want to make the drive and Charlie was distraught that he was being made to stay home. Steve observed the escalating tensions for a few minutes before he pulled Danny off to the side.

"Why is it so important that she go with? You're just pulling up to the curb and picking her up. Charlie could go with just as easily and I'll give the girls breakfast."

Danny sighed. He knew Steve was right. It really didn't matter who stayed or who went. He knew a lot of it had to do with the fact that there were times his leg still gave him a lot of pain and then his temper would get frayed. It was easier to keep things under control when he was in his own space, but here in the condo it felt like everyone was on top of him all the time.

"Fine, babe. You're right. Sorry to be such an asshat. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal out of this. Tiger! You win. You get to go and Grace can stay in her jammies for a while longer."

"Yay! Danno! Yay!"

Charlie was dancing around the room. As soon as Grace realized she had a reprieve, she shot her Uncle Steve a beaming smile and went back to the bedroom to sleep some more while Joan was still napping. Danny hustled Charlie out of the condo so they wouldn't be late.


	76. Chapter 76

_A/N - Sorry that work got in the way - but here is the next chapter for our hiatus! Thanks for reading and commenting - the fact someone is enjoying reading this means the world to me!_

* * *

Rachel had left the plane and was headed towards the exits, but for some reason she had an extremely uneasy feeling. She had not been the wife of a cop all those years for nothing, and she always paid attention when something made her nerves prickle. She stopped in the ladies room to re-group and as she exited, she saw a gentleman from her plane who should have been much farther along in exiting the airport but instead was at the newsstand looking over a paper. As she left the ladies room, he put the paper down and swiveled in her direction.

The flight personnel from her plane were just passing her by, and she immediately engaged them in conversation and began to walk with them, instantly noticing that the man was following them. He was a young Asian man, dressed very nicely, and there should have been nothing alarming about him. Despite that, Rachel was still worried. The co-pilot seemed to notice her nervousness and she immediately shifted her attention to him.

"I'm so sorry, but do you mind walking with me to the exit? My ex-husband is picking me up but I get a little nervous in such crowds."

"No problem, Miss. All part of the service our airline likes to provide."

Rachel looked over her shoulder as they exited the main airport and the man had followed them all the way to the doorway. The intent way that he stared at her made her shiver a little. She heard her name being called – by both her ex and her sweet little boy. She turned and thanked the Co-pilot for walking with her and he smiled and tipped his hat to her.

Danny had the back of the SUV opened and popped her suitcase in. She jumped in the backseat next to Charlie, much to his delight. Danny laughed as he got back in the car and started to pull out into traffic.

"Sure, too good to sit up front with me, huh?"

"It's not that Danny, it's that the company back here is so handsome!"

Charlie giggled as his Mother snuggled him and he felt quite content.

"Danny, there isn't anyone following us, is there?"

"What?"

Danny's eyes immediately focused on the rear view mirror, but his experienced eye did not see anything amiss.

"No. Nothing like that. Did you run into trouble on the plane?"

"Yes. No. Oh, goodness, I don't know Danny. I just got the oddest feeling from one of the other passengers, but I am sure I am imagining things. That's why I walked out with the flight crew."

"Yeah, I thought your escort was a little odd. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Rach."

Rachel smiled quietly to herself. Now there certainly wouldn't be anything to worry about it, because she knew that once she mentioned it to Danny, he would worry and then he would mention it to Steve. The two men were rabid about protecting the people in their lives on a normal day, if they thought there was any cause for concern they were sure to be hyper-vigilant.

They finished the drive with Rachel telling Danny a few details of her friends' funeral. She didn't want to focus on any of that once they were all together. She wanted to be able to spend the few days that they had together just enjoying one another.

Once they got back to the condo, Rachel spent quite a bit of time catching up with Grace and cuddling Charlie and Joanie. Danny and Steve got lunch together for everyone and Aunt Deb joined them. Rachel and Deb felt as though they had known each other for years and happily fell into conversation like a couple of old friends. It calmed Steve's heart to see it. He knew how much Deb missed Mary, and she treated Rachel as though she were a treasured family member.

Rachel noticed when Danny had pulled Steve away from everyone else and noted how Steve's eyes darted her way as Danny was speaking. After they were done eating, the children were sent to get cleaned up and Danny went along to supervise the littles. Steve took the opportunity to try and get any more information out of Rachel.

"Oh, Steven, I don't know if I would even recognize the man again. He was mid-thirties, thin, Asian, not too tall. I'm sure it was nothing and I am sure I over-reacted. I'm sorry to have alarmed Danny. The man just made me nervous."

"Trust your instincts, Rachel, you have good ones. If he made you nervous, there was a reason. I'm not trying to make you paranoid, but just pay attention to your surroundings and don't go off on your own or with just the kids while we're here, okay?"

"Okay, Steve. Don't worry. I'm not foolish. If I see anything concerning, I'll let you or Danny know right away."

"That's all I ask, Rachel."

H50-H50-H50-H50-H50

The next few days passed in a whirlwind. Steve was gratified that Deb and Rachel had really hit it off so well. Both of the women had huge voids in their lives. Rachel's mother had never been very supportive and had passed away several years ago, and Deb desperately missed Mary. While they enjoyed spending time with the men and children during the day, they were up until all hours of the night once they were ensconced in Deb's condo. They found that they had very similar ways of looking at things. Rachel actually found herself worrying about leaving Deb behind when they returned to Hawaii.

Thursday was a planned outing to Disneyland. Deb would not be accompanying them because she was sure it would be much too tiring but the children were over the moon and even the adults were looking forward to it. By about 1:00, however, the adults were exhausted, the children were tired, hungry and sticky and everyone needed a break.

Danny and Steve had found a shady spot and were preparing to grab some hot dogs and burgers for the group, and Rachel and Grace were heading out to visit the ladies' room. Joanie was napping in the stroller and no one felt like waking her up. Rachel and Grace headed for the ladies room, and Rachel once again got a very nervous feeling. She thought she was being very silly, until she looked around and noticed the Asian man from the airport. Although now he was in khaki shorts and a polo, she was sure it was the exact same man.

They had reached the rest room and stepped inside.

"Grace. I don't want to make you frightened, but I think there is a man that has been following me, and I think he is outside the door. Do you have your cell phone? I left mine at the picnic area."

Grace's face grew strained and she looked wide-eyed at her mom, while she stammered her reply.

"No, mom, I left it in my backpack and it's with Danno and Uncle Steve. What should we do?"

Before Rachel could respond, the only other occupant of the restroom walked out, and in walked the Asian man. He was holding a gun.

"Nobody needs to get hurt. I was only supposed to bring you," with this he gestured toward Rachel, "but I can't leave you behind to start screaming, so you get to come too. My boss has a thing for young, little, white girls. Keep your mouths shut and get moving, because I don't mind wasting one of you."

Rachel had already pushed Grace protectively behind her, and could feel her daughter trembling. She knew that if they left the park with this man that it wouldn't matter. They would both be dead and Danny would never know what had happened to them. She nodded at the man.

"Don't hurt us….we'll come quietly…I just don't want you to hurt my daughter."

The man stuck the gun in his pocket, his hand still on it, as he gestured toward the doorway.

"After you ladies."

Rachel reached behind and shoved Grace in front of her, whispering quietly to her as she passed.

"When I push you, run like the devil to your father."

Grace nodded slightly, so Rachel knew that she understood. As they exited the restroom, Rachel took advantage of the fact that the gunman was distracted and immediately pushed Grace who took off like a shot. Rachel then turned on the thug and leaped onto him, knocking both of them to the ground. She heard a pop and a sharp pain in her left arm, but with her right she was hitting the man for all she was worth, at the same time screaming at the top of her lungs:

"Rape, Rape, you won't get my little girl."

This immediately drew attention in the crowded park, and people were already heading their way. The gunman pushed Rachel away from him. He grabbed for his pocket where the gun was, but seeing all the attention upon them, snarled at her prone figure.

"This isn't over yet. You win this round, but we'll get you. Depend on it."

He then barreled into the crowd and took off running. Although several patrons of the park halfheartedly tried to stop him, no one was really sure what he had done, and he was fast and disappeared from sight rapidly.

Rachel sat on the ground, several ladies supporting her, as she realized that her arm was screaming in pain. She could hear her name being frantically being called in the distance, and within seconds Steve McGarrett came shooting into sight. In the distance, she could see Danny, the stroller containing the littles, and Grace running as fast as they could. Steve reached her side and knelt next to her.

"Rachel, are you all right? Did he get away?"

"I…I….he got away. Yes. I ….. I … I don't know if I'm all right."

By this time Danny had reached them and dropped to his knees next to his ex-wife and began checking her over. The paramedics from the park and security arrived as well. Steve left Danny to handle tending to Rachel and the littles while he filled in park security and insisted that the local police be called. The paramedics, with Danny insisting, were preparing to transport Rachel to the hospital, over her vigorous protests.

"Rachel, I do NOT care! You are going and that is final. I know I have no say over you since we're not married anymore, but you have to get checked out so that Grace and Charlie know you're okay."

Rachel sagged back against Danny and sighed. She knew he was right, but she just wanted to be back at the condo and try and get her shaking nerves under control. She nodded slightly and could feel Danny relax just a tiny bit. She looked over at Steve, who had Joan in one arm and Charlie in the other. Grace was holding onto the stroller, brown eyes huge in her face. Rachel smiled gently at her.

"Grace, darling! I am SO proud of you. You handled yourself so well and did exactly what you needed to do. I would have been so worried if you tried to stay."

"Danno always tells me that no matter whether I want to do something, when he, or you, or Uncle Steve tell me to do something, I need to do it immediately and I can ask questions later. He always says that's the best way to keep everybody safe if something happens."

"Well, your Danno is a wise man."


End file.
